Every year as the weather turns cold and gloomy many gardeners will pull the annuals out of their garden rather than let them go to seed.

But what happens if the plants do go to seed? Area experts say there are actually quite a few benefits.

They can provide and preserve

The plants can provide shelter to pollinators before they go into stasis or die, or even provide a winter habitat for some wasps and bees.

After the pollinators are long gone, the seeds produced by the plants feed birds like goldfinches and small animals, said Ted Smith, Park County Extension horticulturist.

After the birds have eaten the seed the area where the seed was can create “a little spot (where) different types of insects can go live,” Katherine Clarkson, president of the Park County Master Gardeners said. 

“Some of the downy type seeds like milkweed can provide nesting materials for them in the fall or in the spring,” Smith said. “That light and fluffy material would be similar to duck or goose down and that really makes a good insulator.”

The leftover plants can also serve as snowcatchers “to retain moisture and let it percolate into the soil slowly.”

On a similar note they can help to prevent wind and water erosion.

“I know that you’ve seen like I have, where rivers or ditches or creeks have over flooded so much that it eats out the embankment. You can see the roots holding the top of the soil profile from falling in,” Smith said. 

Additionally, cutting the roots of annuals at ground level instead of pulling them creates paths for the moisture to go into the soil.

“As the roots dry out, it lets air and water come in there and help keep (the soil) balanced, plus when they continue to decompose it’s organic matter (that) makes a compact or tight soil loosen up.”

Allowing plants to go to seed also strengthens their genetics whether they be annuals or perennials, Clarkson said.

“The following year … there’s a good chance that they’re going to take just from the seed,” Clarkson said. “Every year, plant seeds go to the ground. It gives to this future plant different things that it already went through for the summer — if it was super hot it’s going to start teaching the next generation how to be more heat tolerant.”

Seeding plants give color and attract birds

Pleasing colors are another and more aesthetically focused benefit of allowing plants to go to seed. The color and appearance of a plant when it goes to seed can be its own reason to let the plant go to seed, Clarkson said. 

“If you raise sunflowers it lessens the need for bird feeders. People enjoy the color and watching the birds and things, squirrels or chipmunks  can also climb up if they have a strong enough stock,” Smith said.

And, seeding plants like sunflowers can keep some of the “bigger, bossy birds away.” They can also serve as companion plants or sacrifice plants to protect more valuable plants from insects. 

Harvesting and reusing seeded plants

The dried out plants can be made into decorative items like wreaths and the seeds can be kept for next season or the seeds and other parts of the dried plant can be repurposed in other ways. 

“If you are trying to save some herb seed, you don’t want it to be too moist or it might mold. It naturally dries to a point where you don’t have to worry about storage problems,” Smith said. “And also, teas can be made from some of the dry parts and they include the petals, the leaves, some people use the stems and the stalks. You can also use roots, some of the seeds and those kinds of teas are caffeine free and (have) a lot of antioxidants.”