"Jo Ann" wrote:

-snip-
Nevertheless, I think I want to get rid of the rocks.

Are there compelling reasons to leave the rocks? Will it have a
negative impact on the established plants' health/ability to thrive if
I remove them?

Probably not-- but the plants will benefit from some type of mulch.

If you agree that they should go, can you suggest a good method for
removing them? They are relatively small -- look like purchased "river
rock" or some such. Most are too small for a garden rake to work well,
but too heavy for a leaf rake.

Sounds like the #2 river rock I put down everywhere 20 yrs ago.
'Good' way to get rid of them? Maybe. . . Easy? nope!.

I've got a piece of 3/8 hole hardware cloth that I lay across my
wheelbarrow. I shovel a few shovel fulls on that & rake until the
dirt falls into the barrow. i pick out the weeds by hand-- and when I
have fairly clean rocks I scrape them into my other wheelbarrow.

I've tried cleaning with water-- but it is much messier. I've also
eyed my concrete mixer and tried to envision how I'd make a cylinder
out of that hardware cloth and let the mixer tumble things apart---
but simplicity wins out. i do a little each year and now most of my
old rock mulch is gone. [except around the pool where I back flush the
filter. The rock works well there-- and gets frequent rinsing.

Now I use cedar mulch. I also use a porous weed barrier- not
plastic- under my mulch.

Good luck-

Jim