I should tell you right up front that I'm one of those soft-hearted gardeners who have trouble killing the legions of Love-in-a-Mist volunteers all over my garden. I also have to give myself a pep talk every time I should prune the roses: "Go ahead - Cut it back! It will grow stronger, be healthier!" Under performing plants should be tossed onto the compost pile without regret, but I typically give them another chance in the back corners of my yard. And then they limp along another season. But each year I do feel myself becoming increasing ruthless.

I contemplated my soft nature as I cut back this summer's vegetables and annuals last Sunday. The spent Mums were easy to cut, but the Zinnias still had good looking flowers and buds. Never mind that the buds will never open, and frost will soon reduce it to mush. Let frost do the dirty work. I can't bear to cut back a perfectly pretty Zinnia. Even if it blocks the only pathway to the front yard.

This last concession drives my husband crazy. As the summer progresses our garden pathways grow ever more narrow. Another plant that I couldn't bring myself to cut down is the Salvia mexicana 'Limelight'. It's been blocking the path for weeks, but it's so amazing with chartreuses buds opening up to royal purple flowers, reaching 6 feet tall and about 4 wide. Oops; I guess I shouldn't have planted it so close to the path. I promise to move it this winter somewhere it can grow to its full glory. If it survives, that it. Apparently it's marginally hardy in our climate.

I also left the still blooming Dahlias, the Clematis tangutica with its fluffy seed heads, and the Cape Fuschia with orange tubular flowers still feeding the humming birds.

And speaking of birds, I have this idea that they may want the seeds buried deep within the brown artichoke flowers or high up on the spent Hollyhock stems. I know they adore the berries in my neighbor's Japanese Barberry. Whole flocks of sparrows descend on it for a quick snack.

I've left the dead flowers on my French lavender hybrid 'Goodwin Creek' because it's also tender (I lost 2 plants one cold winter). The spent flower stalks are supposed to provide a tiny bit of frost protection. This is why we shouldn't cut off dead Hydrangea flowers. The little puff of dried flowers keep the developing buds warm. If that sounds too absurd then think of those brown puffs as winter interest! Think how lovely they'll look covered with a dusting of snow.

Tracy is a librarian at the Elisabeth C. Miller Library, University of Washington Botanic Garden.