Life is filled with choices. In the garden, certainly, we have many opportunities to make decisions about which plants to edit out and which ones to keep. Do we bring all the tender or tropical plants in for the winter or let them die in the cold? Some of these determinations are based on whether we have places to keep these plants or not. Sometimes the numbers are just too great. It would take a large greenhouse to hold all of the annuals that grow in the gardens at Poison Ivy Acres, not to mention a staff to tend them.
Mother Nature kills off plants all the time, so we shouldn’t feel badly about going along with her plan. Keep the varieties that improve by growing larger from year to year. Save the plants that are rare and difficult to replace. As for the rest, thank them sincerely for their willingness to grow, take photos, and then let them go.
Bedding annuals such as this Gomphrena 'Fireworks' will die in the first hard frost. I'm still undecided if I should dig up the 'King Tut' papyrus that grows above this bed or not....
