Casual approach to garden cleanup has a lot going for it

A side effect of being “that person with the garden” is that you have your finger on the pulse of the local gardening community. That’s how I can say with some certainty that right now a lot of people are worried about cleaning up their garden correctly.

Last weekend, at least five people sought casual consultation about garden cleanup, and in every case my advice was the same — “You can if you want.”

I got into gardening at a time when it was standard operating procedure to clean the garden for fall in the same manner you might prepare a house to be sold — strip it down, let no dirt linger and make it look like no one had ever lived there. Speaking as a lazy gardener, I’m very happy to say that is no longer the case.

In fact, there are far more reasons to leave your garden a bit disheveled for winter, and the first is purely for your own pleasure. Some plants look as good during winter as they do in summer, especially with a dusting of snow. Sturdy, upright perennials like sedum and echinacea come to mind, along with ornamental grasses, which often turn gold and provide a bit of movement. Why have a barren landscape when you could have some winter interest?

The next reason is for the plants. Some studies show that perennials left to stand in winter fair better than those that are cut back. This may be because the crown of the plant is better protected by foliage that helps corral snowfall, offering insulation and, eventually, moisture.

The third reason is for the ecosystem. Countless insect species need places to spend the winter and almost all of them will be quite happy to have that be in a garden. Native bees take shelter in the hollow stem of plants and resident butterflies (unlike their Monarch cousins that migrate south) will tuck in leaf litter or under tree bark. Some curl up in a chrysalis attached to dead plant material.

And perhaps the most important insects of them all, those that prey on insects we don’t want in our gardens, overwinter as eggs, pupae or even adults hunkered down in plant litter. A good population of these predator bugs helps balance insect issues that may arise in spring.

Birds will appreciate a casual cleanup approach as well. Not only do they enjoy the seeds and berries left in the garden, but they will feast on all those little bugs that are nestled in.

It is a good idea to clean up some plants like hostas, which can provide a home that’s maybe a little too comfortable for slugs, and any diseased plant material, like herbaceous peonies with leaf blotch or roses with black spot.

Not everyone can embrace this casual approach to fall cleanup. Some gardeners feel better knowing that come spring they won’t have to tack general cleanup onto the long to-do list. The good news is, like a lot of garden jobs, you can choose your own adventure and find the system that works best for you. Neither approach is likely to end in garden disaster.