You can cut back your Dicentra plant after the foliage begins to naturally die back. Some varieties hold their foliage through the summer, and some Dicentras even rebloom. However, most species of Dicentra will lose their foliage in mid- to late summer, before the frost. Don't cut back too early, or the plant won't have the opportunity to store the energy it needs to sprout again in the spring. Use pruning shears to cut the plant to a few inches above the ground.