Christin, there's a difference between mulching and leaving the remains of a plant in place until new growth emerges in spring :-) Mulching can very well make a difference in protecting marginal plants because it does afford insulation - certainly to the soil (which will help with roots) and perhaps even to the crown if you pile mulch over the top of it. But it's not a guarantee and it may work very well on some plants and not so well on others. Leaving old stems, dried flower stalks, etc. in place just doesn't have the same effect. I don't know of any good reasons NOT to mulch :-) It is a soil insulator, moderating against temperature extremes in both winter (heaving due to freeze/thaw) and summer. It will provide protection against erosion both from heavy rainfall and your own irrigation. It supresses weeds and if you use an organic mulch, it will add to soil texture and provide nutrients as it decomposes. It encourages beneficial organisms and can help prevent reinfecting plants with diseases by not allowing fungal spores, etc. to splash up on the foliage. There are some drawbacks, primarily that it provides a safe/secure environment for some pests to hide or overwinter in, but those can be successfully addressed rather easily. If organic, it needs to be replaced on a fairly regular basis and if inorganic, it's a PITA to keep it tidy and debris out of it. What is the most effective method of mulching, material to use and when to do is going to vary a lot by garden and location. And what you are trying to protect. For the most part, I never mulch over the crown of any plant for winter protection simply because my climate does not require it, although this is a very common practice in colder climates. Marginal or not fully hardy plants get any necessary protection by growing them in containers and overwintering them in safe place or sometimes, piling loose leaves around them. IME, having good drainage affords a more reliable method of protection, as the combination of cold and wet is typically the kicker, not just the cold. So to respond to your statement that no amount of mulching/covering will save a plant from death by cold, because that is only topical cover and will not protect the roots of the plant, I'd say that is not true most of the time :-) It depends.....on the plant, the location, the soil conditions, the severity of the winter and any specific microclimate that might be involved. Mulch can and does protect against cold but it is not a guarantee, especially for marginally hardy plants.

I like 'October Skies' for its pale-blue flowered shrubbiness. I think 'Fanny' is the other one I have that is similar. I have a 'Hella Lacy' that really needs to get clipped, which I keep forgetting to do, but this year it bloomed with some goldenrod and looked great. 'Raydon's Favorite' is all mixed up in one bed with a 'Doctor' or 'Professor' somebody and I'm not sure who is what anymore. And I've split my 'Purple Dome' plants into enough to line one border. I mixed them in with a similar looking type from a neighbor. I'm waiting to see if my 'Lady in Black' will come back. I rescued it from a shrub that had started to cast a shadow over it, then decided to split it. I have tall asters (New York?) and tatarian asters (my favorites) along the back fence. And the pale blue asters that were left by the last owner are still growing under the silver maples (and along the sides and front of the house now, too) in the shade. Has anybody else had trouble adjusting to the asters' name change? I haven't gotten used to it yet. Of course, I call lots of plants by names that are no longer appropriate, but I figure the plant police won't knock on my door any time soon.

Orange Cosmos From Backyard Summer 2009 Another orange cosmos In full sun and good rich soil they get very tall and huge, I wish I had a picture of one of them "orange cosmos trees" :) From Backyard Summer 2009 Annual Phlox This year I have whites, and different shades of pink. I originally moved a few plants we found growing along a road (when in season, you will see masses of them near highways). The plants flowered and disappeared..And for a few years now, they reseed and bloom in large clumps From Backyard Summer 2009 From Backyard Spring 2009 Salvia Same thing, reseeds. I recieved one plant at a swap two years ago and since then, my yard is covered in them :) They are nice plants to have, I really like them - and they do live for more that a year it seems. From Backyard Summer 2009 Blanket flower Same story, found a plant growing by a road, moved it to my yard and now I have masses of them. They tolerate draught and lots of sun, and poor soils - but boy do they love good soil. In my rose garden, I have to weed them out so they do not eat the roses! The plant gets big AND the flowers are much larger in diameter From Backyard Summer 2009 I do not have a picture of Alyssum . It likes colder weather, or at least does not like the heat as much. It is very popular in Russia in the summer, so very different climate there! In the cooler months, it grows really well, so I would start seeds around that time. Same goes for Calendulas and the pink and white cosmos, they seem to like less heat Marigolds, I start whenever :) They reseed once they are done Here is a picture of Salvia (perennial) with marigolds From Backyard Spring 2009

I hope that interpreting 'perennial' loosely is OK. I have found Geranium 'Jolly Bee' is hardier than 'Rozanne', but both bloom all summer starting in early July. Type 3 clematis start blooming in early July and continue for at least a month, and for some varieties much more. I don't have all the names off the top of my head, but I know Ville de Lyon and Venosa Violacea bloom for more than 5 weeks. Clematis are vines, and type three clems get pruned to about a foot in late winter. My third plant is Hydrangea 'Endless Summer', which started blooming for me in early July and is still blooming. Like G. 'Jolly Bee' it will still be blooming (based on 4 years) when frost hits. I also have a coppery double mum that starts blooming in late August and will bloom through several hard frosts until the ground freezes or it's covered with snow, so it's often still blooming in mid-October, later than anything else in my garden.