Key Points
Healthy annuals can stay in the ground to boost soil and prevent erosion.Remove any diseased plants to avoid pests and issues next year.Prep now by moving pots, taking cuttings, and mulching for a better spring.
As the gardening season winds down for another year, there’s still plenty to do outside to prep your outdoor spaces for the colder season.
From pruning back fruit shrubs and perennials, to raking leaves, to giving your lawn one more final mow—the list goes on.
But when it comes to annuals, do you need to pull them before winter or can you leave them in the ground? We turned to gardening experts to find out.
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Pulling Annuals vs. Leaving Them in the Ground for Winter
Anna Sakawsky, editor-in-chief at Homestead Living, says leaving annuals in the ground over winter has several benefits.
First, she says, the roots will help keep the soil intact and prevent erosion. Second, as the plants die back, they add nutrients to the soil, which can mean richer soil when spring rolls around.
Steve Corcoran, CEO of Lawn Love, agrees.
“I would say that for the most part, so long as your plants are healthy and haven’t had any issues with pests or diseases, you can leave them,” he says.
However, both Corcoran and Sakawsky caution that there are some cases where you will want to pull annuals out of the ground as part of your fall cleanup.
“Leaving certain annuals in the ground can increase the chance of diseases and pest infestations overwintering in the soil and causing problems the following year,” Sakawsky says.
Sakawsky prefers to remove annuals from her own garden, and adds compost and leaf mulch to her beds to ensure the soil still gets added nutrients.
“This way I minimize the risk of pests and diseases, feed and protect my soil over the winter months, and ensure my beds are ready for planting next spring,” she says.
How to Prepare Annuals for Winter
Most annuals won’t survive a cold winter—that’s why they’re called annuals—but there are a few other things you can do in your garden with annuals to prepare for winter.
Move potted plants inside. If you overwinter your annuals indoors, you should move potted annuals inside before the first frost. Even if you don’t have room for them in your home, a garage or shed can also work.
Take plant cuttings. If you want to re-plant any of your annuals next year, you can take cuttings from them now and root them inside over winter. Begonias, coleus, fuchsia, geraniums, hibiscus, petunias, and zinnias are all popular options.
Dig up bulbs and rhizomes. Even if the plants themselves don’t survive winter, many annuals grow from bulbs. tubers, or rhizomes that you can dig up and save for re-planting next year. This includes favorites like dahlias, anemones, ranunculi, lilies, daffodils, and tulips.
5 Other Fall Gardening Tasks to Do Right Now
Plant spring bulbs. If you haven’t already, don’t forget to plant your spring bulbs. It’s best to do this when the ground is cool, but hasn’t frozen yet.
Mulch around garden beds and trees. Mulching is best done toward the end of the fall season. Apply a thick layer around any newer trees and shrubs, and garden beds for insulation.
Prune perennials and dead tree branches. If you want to tidy up the garden, now is a good time for pruning back perennials, as long as they have gone dormant. Prune any dead branches from trees so they don’t fall over winter.
Clean garden tools. While some people do this task in spring, fall is the ideal time to clean garden tools so they are ready to use when winter is over.
Rake or mulch leaves. Some gardeners prefer to leave the leaves where they are, as they can provide insulation and nutrients to garden beds over winter, but you can also take the opportunity to rake them now or turn them into mulch.
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