7 Reasons Not to Clean Up Your Fall Garden

My belief in leaving the garden alone in fall was cemented last December when a robin landed on my tool chest, drinking melting snow droplets. Soon a bluebird joined, then another—three lined up taking turns. If I'd cleaned up, I'd never have seen them. Winter wouldn't have meant as much without that living beauty outside my door in a "dead" season many gardeners unnecessarily loathe. Here are seven reasons to leave your fall garden standing.

1. Why work when it's cold?

We're tired. It's cold. Do you really want to be outside? Isn't there a football game or pumpkin-spice latte? Let the garden be for your health and sanity.

2. Wildlife is hibernating.

Insects, frogs, and who knows what else overwinter in leaf litter, on twigs, in topsoil. "Cleaning up" may toss out a black swallowtail chrysalis, a mantis egg case, or step on a mourning cloak butterfly.

3. Protect your plants.

Standing perennials gather snow, which insulates roots in extreme cold and adds soil moisture—a double win for low-maintenance gardening. And it's gorgeous. Viva snow!

4. Discover a new dimension.

Frosty mornings accent every leaf, stem, and seed head with silvery shadows—halos of ice and snow that make the garden exquisite. Snowflakes are fractals—mathematical equations like coastlines, mountains, trees, sunflowers, even our circulatory system. Take kids outside for a healthy double groan: math and nature.

5. Enjoy new neighbors.

Standing plants welcome wildlife you'd never see. One year a sharp-shinned hawk visited because juncos sheltered in the thick cover. The hawk got a meal—that's OK; the garden helped everyone, doing what nature does best right out the back door. A cure for seasonal affective disorder.

6. Even robin redbreasts will stop by and surprise you.

Robins are around in winter, roosting in groups, moving only when thirsty or hungry. A heated birdbath helps, but so do fermenting berries on shrubs/trees. Many songbirds enjoy seeds from standing perennials.

7. Gardens thrive in all four seasons.

When spring blooms arise, you won't feel like you missed them (as much), because so much happened all winter. Leaving plants up makes winter seem shorter. Those first spring flowers become confirmation that a garden never really sleeps—you'll see that firsthand in all four seasons.

"Winter interest" means something beautiful to look at in cold season—usually grasses or redtwig dogwoods, but any old perennial works. It's not just for us; it's for birds, butterflies, frogs, and soil microbes munching leaves, making the garden healthier for summer. Leave the garden up until a spring cut-down—get out there and enjoy it this winter!

Tell us: How do you help natural processes in your garden all year? What gives you the greatest winter interest?