I normally don't do much of a fall clean up, Diann. Since it's so dry here we don't have many problems with the normal culprits--I clean up in the spring. It's been so wet here this summer though I'll do it this fall, though. I have a pruning knife--just grab a bunch of stems and slice low, works like magic!
I too am looking for other plants to go in a mixed perennial garden. My problem is a lot of the things that bloom late enough that the deer will leave alone get too big too fast--penstmons and agastaches that overwinter here are fairly aggressive. I did have Black and Blue salvia--that blooms late here, but it has to be lifted and I must've thrown the bag away by accident when I cleaned out the garage early in the spring.
