Three Reasons to Keep Your Fall and Winter Garden Messy

Fall is a magical time, marked by the changing of seasons and the brightly colored leaves that line our streets. But all it takes is just a good windstorm for those leaves and other plant debris to spread across your property and make one big mess. But before you head out to clean it all up, keeping it messy can be beneficial to your yard. Here are three reasons to leave leaf debris behind.

Reason 1: Nature’s Free Mulch:

Fallen leaves add nutrients to your soil, so during the cool and cold seasons, leave some leaves to help feed the soil. Leaving the leaves also provides some much-needed food for your earthworm and helps keep the root of your plants warm. Then, in the spring, add a layer of compost on top of those unsightly leaves to further aid in their breakdown into compost.

Reason 2: Protect Pollinators:

Leaving some messy leaves around your yard provides excellent habitat for native bees and butterflies to overwinter. Many of your beneficial insects use the hollow stems of your perennial plants, like bee balm and coneflowers, to lay their eggs. In contrast, other beneficial insects lay their eggs in the leaf litter near the base of your plants. Raking up all your leaves is, in essence, evicting your garden's best helpers.

Reason 3: Free Food for Birds:

Resist the temptation to deadhead the last of your perennial flowers and fountain grasses and allow them to go to seed, as this will provide much-needed food for the birds. Finches, chickadees, and junos love to feast on leftover sunflower seeds, asters, and coneflowers.

Garden Tip: A Good Compromise

Remove just the leaves from the grass. A blower with a mulch attachment is useful for yard cleaning. Blow leaves into a pile, then mulch them for easy spreading in garden beds.

What's one 'messy' part of your garden you'll be leaving for wildlife this winter?