Because I live in the arid city of Calgary, we need to water our perennials thoroughly before the snow flies, and mulch, mulch, mulch! I cut down the tall stuff, then leave it sit on the garden - veggie and flower.

Next year I hope to plant tomato seeds and the only way they're going to come up is for the soil to be very wet under the mulch and to leave it until the beginning to middle of June (when danger of frost is gone).
We're in the shade of the mountains, and it can fluctuate a great deal in the springtime (from freezing, to mid-70's) so we have to be careful not to be fooled by Mother Nature!

I cut back some stuff that has bloomed in the spring... but most like the daylilys and Hostas, I leave for Spring -- I like you am ready to mulch mulch mulch!!!

I bet the mountains can really affect your temperatures and growing seasons. Must be quite a challenge gardening there Susan.

It really is, Chris, it really is...... I'm originally from Manitoba and the growing season starts the 3rd week of May (long weekend) cuz there's no more frost, and it doesn't end until beginning to mid-Oct. Plus the soil is rich and black. Here in Calgary we can't start planting until Mid-June, and season ends by mid to end of Sept. Plus the soil is very clay, and the water runs off. They say we're only 3 hours from a drought and we can have a huge rainstorm for days on end, and after a few hours our soil is cracked and dry!!
They also say that tomatoes won't ripen in the garden - most people use greenhouses. It's a very arid climate - almost desert-like.

Wow, even more challenging than I originally thought. Do you have a greenhouse?