die back

Verb

1. To wither, particularly during the winter.
   • The same walls, when the Virginia creeper dies back in winter, show a date-mark of 1490. - 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 240:
   • The changing weather pattern, and in particular warmer winters, has also affected the inspection of earthworks. Lineside vegetation is not dying back as previously and has to be cleared before any inspections can take...