What should I do?

I have just brought this house and have no idea what to do now that it is fall this is just some of the plants I have but this was taken in Aug. and now they are dying should I cut all the flowers down for the winter?
Dimmer

They're most likely going dormant, not dying, though they may appear sad looking at this point. It's normal. If there are no green leaves and no flowers or buds you can cut most plants back but try to get identification on each one before you do it.

Oh that wood be great if I can get the names but in the Summer time I work road construction but what I have done is taken pictures of all the plants so I will no what is what and where I hope this being the first year I let everything go to seed so I new what was a plant and what was a weed but than even the weeds had nice flowers when they bloomed.
thanks for the infor it has helped me
Dimmer

I'm a little unsure of what you have; but the yellow flowers might be some sort of small rudbeckia. If so, they might be annuals. The white flowers seem like they might be phlox which will come back bigger and stronger next year. It might be best to plan to replant the annuals next spring; annuals tend to bloom most of the season, bringing reliable color to the bed. The phlox probably won't start blooming until late July. Hope this helps.

It dose help the ones that look like brown eye Susan were here and came up pretty heavy this summer
I do think that the white ones are Phlox I also have them in the purple should they be cut down this fall ?

the black eyed susan comes back and quite prolific.Dh cut down all our perenials and annuals in Nov so they can go to the mulch. Belle

That's a great idea. Cutting them cleans the bed, making less chance for disease and troublesome insects. The mulch will help prevent weeds next summer.

In colder zones you can leave some of the dried out foliage to help catch the falling leaves and protect the roots through the winter months. We used to do that in Minnesota, and I still do that to a lesser extent here in Alabama. Just remember to remove it when new growth starts.

Julie, since you are familiar with the winter climate (I am in Duluth, MN right now on vacation) can I ask you a ? - my father in law has a large garden in Iowa which is overgrown. In about three weeks, I want to go mow it all down, weed it and put mulch over it for the winter. Do I need to do anything else to it? I'm new at this and hate to see how badly the garden has been neglected (my mother in law passed away so it's unavoidable.) Do I need to put preen down to help stop weeds before next year, in between the plants I mean?

Wow, hanseycollie, do you know what the plants in his garden are? Are you sure you want to mow? You may want to weed first and then neaten up the bed without making it too "clean".
I've never used preen, but I understand it prevents seeds from germinating. I guess you would use it in the spring, not after the freeze. Since I've never used it, you may want to start another thread and ask about it specifically.
Happy gardening.

Julie, I think you are right that knowing what the plants are can really help in the clean-up plan. If there are perennials you want to keep, maybe mowing is not the best thing. And if the weeds have seeds or if they are perennials, pulling them out and removing them would produce fewer problems next year than mowing. Of course mowing is really easy. And it's a pretty good thing to do if you want to turn the space into grassland or a wildflower plot.

If HanseyCollies' Father in Law's garden will have vegetables or fruit in it, I would be more inclined to use corn gluten such as Gardens Alive WOW http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=8862. It prevents plants from sprouting, but it will break down and fertilize the soil. Preen is good for places like gravel paths where you never want stuff to sprout. (I'm sure it breaks down eventually, too... but not sure what the byproducts are or do.) Fall is the time to put down corn gluten.

I think the question of what to do with plants in the original post comes back to the nature of the bed and its plants. It looks to me like the original bed in this thread is a high visibility bed, suggesting that removal of plant material might be preferable simply for aesthetic reasons. If the annuals are dead now and are to be replaced in spring, I don't suppose they benefit much from protection. Maybe the phlox would appreciate the extra protection - I've never gardened where it is quite that cold.

Julie and Steve, I appreciate your advice and will take it. (I didn't mean to hijack the thread, sorry.) Will weed the bed and clear out around the flowers. Whatever I'm not sure of, I'll just pull and put some new bulbs in that I know what they are. Corn Gluten is a great idea, too, so will put it between the perennials in three weeks when I take down that garden at Dad's. Thanks again for the gread advice. Cynthia

Cynthia, good luck. It sounds like a lot of work. Your father in law is fortunate to have your help.

My mother in law passed away two years ago, and since the daughters don't take care of her garden, I think I'll adopt it. I've transplanted quite a few of her flowers to my garden and one of her stepping stones, so we have a piece of his mom at our home. It's kinda sentimental. Also have hostas from my great-grandfather's home. Thanks for the good advice! Cynthia

hey, these flowers are beautiful and I do not think these are going to die in the winter season. Ya, may be these can be a little bit faded but I do not think that you should cut them. Just give them proper water and care...these will look as beautiful as they are now in winter also.