The Coming of Fall

It is officially Fall, and as the weather begins to cool and daylight hours start to wane, our plants begin to shed their foliage and flowers in preparation for winter dormancy. Fall is a time of winding down for plant life, and it is important that gardeners around the world start to take heed. It's tempting to tidy up the garden, snipping away spent flowers and raking leaves into neat piles. But before you reach for the pruners this year, consider leaving some of that autumn mess right where it belongs.

An unpruned garden space is an important habitat for wildlife. Seedheads and fruits feed birds and small mammals, hollow stems provide a place for insects to hole up for the winter, and piles of leaves create a protective and insulating groundcover. What looks like an untidy space to many people is actually a remarkably productive ecosystem.

Creating a Safe Winter Habitat

Wildlife-friendly gardens don't stop providing for their residents over the winter months, though their priorities change. Instead of flowers being a source of nectar and pollen, they provide seeds that can be consumed or stored. Defoliated shrubs and trees serve as perches, habitat, and cover for smaller animals. Piles of debris become quick ground-level cover and dense dry grasses provide refuge from harsh weather. So this year, instead of putting in the work to make the garden look tidy, ask what can be left behind for the wildlife in your outdoor spaces. For gardeners who are truly interested in supporting biodiversity, the objective is not to eliminate maintenance, but to practice selective, delayed maintenance.

Wait for It...

Changing fall gardening practices requires a single, simple instruction: Wait. Leave all perennial stems, grasses, and seed heads standing over winter if they are structurally sound and healthy. A comprehensive pruning and cleanup should be pushed out until late winter or early springtime. Doing this increases wildlife habitat in the landscape, lessens labor for the season, and also helps plants to insulate themselves in cooler temperatures, meaning there will be less dieback to take off in spring. The timing of a late winter or early springtime cleanup will vary depending on a garden's climate, plant species, and local wildlife. In many cases, waiting until springtime when warm weather comes around again is recommended.

Knowing When to Snip

Wildlife-friendly gardens do not require that everything be left in place; there are still some instances where removal of plant parts is beneficial to the garden ecosystem. For example, plants with diseases should be managed accordingly. In most cases, these plants are pulled and tossed into the garbage (not in the compost pile) to help reduce sources of infection in the garden, particularly when a pathogen is known to overwinter in foliage or stems. If only part of the plant is affected by disease, simply remove that section.

Plants that have become hazardous, obstruct pathways, interfere with structures, or present other practical problems can also be cut back wherever needed. Other plants that can be automatically pulled in fall include weeds or invasive plants, which should not be allowed to set and disperse seed. Any plants that self-seed profusely in the garden can also be selectively deadheaded to maintain intended garden designs. Good ecological gardening requires both observation and judgement rather than rigid rules or calendars.

Changing The Tune

A biodiverse garden does not have to look neglected or overgrown. One effective approach is to designate portions of the landscape for less intensive management. Forming a naturalistic perennial border, meadow planting, shrubbery, or patio space can allow for both messy, natural ecosystem formation and the more cleaned-up garden aesthetic expected by neighbors, passers-by, and Home Owner's Associations (HOAS).

The conventional image of a well-maintained garden is one in which every perennial is cut back, every dried flower head is removed, and every fallen leaf is cleared. From an ecological perspective, however, this habitat is crucial for our pollinators and pest control insects as well as larger animals like birds and mammals. The most sustainable approach is therefore not necessarily to stop maintaining the garden completely, but to reconsider when, where, and how much maintenance is necessary. Remember: sometimes, the best thing a gardener can do in fall is absolutely nothing - simply leave those pruners in the shed.

References

7 Fall Yard Habits that Help Pollinators Survive Winter

Leave the Leaves!

The Wildlife Garden in Fall: Maintaining Your Habitat