1st year pick none.......always cut flowers down to the ground as they take away from the roots, 2nd year take a few.............3rd year harvest 8 to 10 weeks.............................in the fall cut everything down...........my hubby only likes the red ones...............if you have 32 degrees & under cover them with hay or straw to protect the roots. Before the hay do some composted horsemanure and ph should be 5.5-7.0 so you might need some lime..............in the spring do mulch to keep the weeds down before it starts to grow & get weeds. Happy summer.