Prepping perennials for winter?

[wildrice]

I am a first time flower gardener this year. I have a bunch of perennials in the front yard and I'm not sure what, if anything, I need to do to get them ready for winter. I had read online not to do anything until after a couple of frosts, which I don't believe have happened yet (maybe? I'm in Baltimore area). Right now it just looks like a mess of dead flowers.

I have roses, hydrangeas, and a bunch of smaller perennials that I don't know the names of. I am basically wondering if I need to clip them back or am I supposed to leave them alone? If I leave them alone, do I clip them in the spring or how do I get rid of the dead flowers? Should I put down more mulch or fertilize or do anything like that?

Thank you!

[nicolewi]

I'm in Wisconsin. I don't know if this is all "right" or not, but I generally do nothing with my perennials. You can let flower heads stand to provide food for birds, or you can cut them back. I also have a bunch of random ones and I don't do anything.

HOWEVER, you need to look into your hydrangeas. Some you need to cut in fall and some in spring, and if you do it wrong, you may not get any flowers the next year. So, if you know what you have, look up that variety...or do some sleuthing to figure it out.

Roses you may also need to know what kind you have. I have the new hardy kind and I just kind of pile some leaves on them. In the spring, I clip off all the dead branches and cut the live ones back a little bit. If you have the more fragrant, more classic roses, you may need to do more to cover them for winter. Again...you may need to Google or look into what's appropriate for your zone.