I never have been a "fan" of cutting back the "fans"......UNTIL this time of year. I cut them back in late fall, remove them from the bed, and "trash" them.....hoping to get rid of any disease or insect troubles. I also "burn over" the beds, sometime over the winter....for the same reason.
I take the "lazy man's " way, and use the weed whacker ....cutting them to the 4"-6" range. In fact, I started that project , today....I'm a little over 1/3 of the way "cut" ( 144 feet of bed),
I feel that the info on the website you quoted is correct.....if you want it to grow...it has to have leaves !
