Now that the weather has turned a bit cooler, you might be eyeing your yard and garden, dreading all the cleanup that needs to happen over the next few months. But wait… does it really? Pause before you pull out the shears and trash bags.
You'll still want to pull up your spent summer annuals and veggies and replace them with cool-season color and crops, but your yard will thank you if you leave everything else alone. Those messy perennials are beneficial to local wildlife, providing shelter for insects like ground-nesting bees and giving birds seeds to eat and perches to nest or hide in. Leaving them adds winter interest to your garden when there isn't much color in the cold months, and when the snow falls, the dried-up stalks may even provide built-in insulation for the crown of the plant, keeping the roots more stable. You will want to cut back anything diseased, and preventively cut back your peonies, hostas, and garden phlox after the first hard frost. Otherwise, work with nature and leave everything else alone until spring.
Speaking of leaves, LEAVE THEM! Fallen leaves are a vital wildlife habitat. Many critters rely on leaf litter for food, shelter, and nesting material in the winter. Many moth and butterfly caterpillars overwinter in fallen leaves before they emerge in the spring. Leaving a light layer of leaves also enriches your soil with nutrients and acts as a natural insulating blanket that protects plants from freeze-thaw cycles. National Wildlife Federation Naturalist David Mizejewski says, "Let fallen leaves stay on your property," and I think he knows what he's talking about.
If you truly can't stand the look of an unruly yard in the winter (but let's be real, your yard probably doesn't look that great then anyway), section off an area where you can rake your leaves into a pile and keep them there instead of bagging them for the landfill. You can start a compost pile and use it in your spring garden to add essential nutrients and beneficial microbes. And consider leaving your coneflowers, ornamental grasses, and Russian sage standing throughout the winter. Plus, without all this work you’ll have more time to enjoy the lovely fall weather!
