scottish thistle

does anybody know if these can be cut down once they start going all brown? i think i have new plants growing but am not sure if i cut them back if they will re grow? they have flowerd already this year and now are just all brown and their leaves are just falling off all crispy

thanks

 

Good evening and welcome to the site. Are you talking about Scotch Thistle, Onopordum acanthium? If so, it`s a hardy biennial. Which means it is sown the first year and flowers the second, then dies. If you are lucky it has self seeded. :thumb:

 

yeah thats the one, i think it has self seeded as there are now green leaves growing out the bottom of it...

 

If it`s self seeded you`ll see the seedlings next spring. If it`s growing from the base that means it`s still viable, cut the dead stuff out, and, with a bit of luck, you may get another year out of them.