I want to spruce up my garden so I will soon be deadheading several spent blooms. I've looked at a number of You Tube demonstrations on technique and it seems the gardeners are always removing the clippings. Would it be OK just to let these droppings fall to the ground as mulch?

ha. Youtubers probably want to look perfect. I think that's a personal aesthetic choice for the most part.

With a mixed herbaceous perennial garden, I always remove clippings and other spent material. One reason is to remove any possibility of seeding. In my case, the perennials are planted and maintained relatively close to each other and it's highly desirable to encourage air flow between the individual plants. Also removing any spent material reduces cover for insect pests and the like. In my case, dropping plant material would also be dropping it on top of the low, spring-flowering perennials, which need to have sun exposure in the Fall. I do also like a neat/tidy flower bed.

Sunny Border's post is worth rereading. I would add, though she hinted at it, she didn't come right out and say leaving the pruning/deadheading debris where it falls sets the stage for any of a number of the fungaluglies we'd all prefer to avoid.

A clean/tidy garden is a healthier garden.

Al

Points well made

My garden is never tidy but, it is always cleaned of debris, as I want to overwinter as few pests as possible.

Thanks, Al.

In our climates, as you indicate: I hear about people complaining about powdery mildew on their garden (tall) phlox. Our garden is relatively small but contains dozens of garden phlox and there's a very minimal amount of powdery mildew. Besides maintaining healthy plants (and also using mildew-resistant cultivars), the solution is removing any powdery mildew that might appear towards the end of the phlox blooming. It's also key, as said above, to not leave any infected parts on the soil surface to overwinter.

I heard, at a lecture by a British gardener, that a version goes that the Victorians transferred their successes with public sanitation and private cleanliness to their garden; hence their supposed preoccupation with "garden hygiene". I agree strongly with the above comments; namely, that things can also go too far in the opposite direction, especially in the smaller areas within which most of us garden.

There is always the idea the habitual take, take, taking away organic material which would otherwise decompose to advantage of future plant generations is an unsustainable MO. Better though, to first add clippings, croppings, and old/sick plants' droppings to an active compost heap before they make the journey back home.

Al