I don't pull out any annuals until the Spring. By then, a lot of them I just turn back into the soil. I do most of my garden cleaning in the Spring. I only cut my phlox back in Fall. I hate cutting back or pulling anything out that's not dead. And by the time they're dead, I don't feel like cleaning out in the cold! LOL!!

Kat

Hi,

I know Cosmos are good annuals for birds, and Sunflowers. But I like to rip mine out of the ground when frost hits them. I dont like the cold either, so I get out there in a hurry. I grow many annuals in pots. It's more of a looks thing for me, cant stand the dead sticks out there. It's a matter of preference really.

Jen

It depends upon where they are located in my garden. The areas which are more curb appealish get groomed, while I may overlook some annuals in the back of the property. I do cut down almost all of my annuals at the end of the season (I cut them down, not yank them out). I'm reluctant in keeping too much dead matter around because of disease and insects. I do leave most of perennials up until spring, though.

Is there a reason why some people don't "yank" out the annuals? I yank out anything that won't come back (after yanking, I disperse seeds for reseeding (or harvest). I wondered if there was some benefit to just cutting down rather than yanking - thanks

Carrie

I didn't pull up the annuals last year and I was surprised by some flowers that were actually perenial instead of the stated annual they were when I bought so I guess I am just hoping for "volunters" to show up and surprise me.

Paula

I don't yank them out (unless they're diseased) because the plants can decompose some and help the soil. The ones with a big root systems I yank in Spring. The rest I turn back into the soil.
Paula, there are many tender perennials that are sold as annuals in the colder climates. Sometimes when they are protected well or we have a mild winter they'll come back. But you can't count on that. So we use them as annuals.

Kat

I do almost all of my cleanup in the early spring, except for diseased stuff. If for no other reason, it gives me something to do in my garden when the weather warms up but before you can work the soil.

Once they are pretty much gone by, they get yanked, and tossed into Compost Pile #2, which is the working pile. I replace with Compost #1, which is nearly 'done.' I prefer to have my beds ready to go as much as possible in the spring...we all know there's never an end to a gardener's workload, so the more I can spread out the tasks, the better off I am...

There's always something that needs to be done, so I do little bits at a time- whether it be tossing a small space of annuals & refreshing the soil with compost, or mulching 1/2 a bed over, the next 1/2 on another day, or moving a few plants around...it's a never-ending story, so I do what little bits I can when I can.

Oh, and working by the light of Christmas lights on the house is not unheard of this time of year- LOL!

Its really just a matter of preference. I like to yank mine out in the fall, that way all I have to do in the spring is mulch and plant. Besides, I can't stand it when things start looking bad in the garden. The only annuals I left in were my snapdragons, cause i want them to reseed heavy.

I pull all of my zinnias and other garden plants and put them in the compost pile. I leave the garden soil bare for the winter so as not to provide any cover for any overwintering insect pests, such as grasshoppers. We have some sub-zero winter weather and our garden soil freezes as hard as concrete. Our frost line goes down below 40 inches. It takes a while to thaw in the spring.

MM