Columbine flower plants

Question

I was reading the article on growing Columbine and Columbine care. At the end of the article, it says, “However, pruning columbine plants to the ground just after blooming can usually help alleviate any problems with insect pests.” I don’t understand this. If the plant is pruned after it blooms, then the flowers are killed. Is there a better way of phrasing of what the writer is trying to explain at the end of this article?

Answer 1

Pruning back these plants after their blooms have finished will not kill or prevent them from blooming again. These are perennial plants and are not treated the same as the flowering shrubs or trees which may require pruning prior to blooming (though many types are actually pruned just after). In fact, cutting these back can actually encourage new growth, which depending on one’s growing season can produce another batch of blooms.

The writer has reworded this in the hopes of clarifying any confusion.