The word is out: You can relax about fall garden cleanup chores. Blowing every last leaf from your property can actually do more harm than good. It’s time we adopt a new aesthetic regarding the winter garden, one that includes seed heads and stems, leaf cover and withered annuals, and all the bees, butterflies and other forms of life that these elements protect. Once spring temperatures are reliably above freezing, you can neaten up the garden without upsetting nature’s balance.  

Here are a few dos and don’ts to help you to create and maintain a garden that is alive in all four seasons.  

Do remove crop residues from the your vegetable beds. Fall cleanup is still the rule in food gardens, as some pest insects overwinter in spent stalks and garden debris. 

Do plant a fast growing cool season cover crop in your empty beds. Seed companies offer cover crops that specific to all growing regions in the country. This is the absolute best way to help break insect and disease cycles. Cover crops also support the soil ecology, prevent soil compaction, and keep spring weeds from taking over. Bare soil, by contrast, is often beset by compaction and erosion, and it’s an open invitation to weed seeds.

Don’t give your leaves to the dump! Running over leaves on the lawn with your mower will break them into small pieces and allow them to decompose quickly, creating a natural fertilizer and soil conditioner. 

Do rake some of the leaf accumulation from perennial beds. A thick layer of leaves (or mulch, for that matter) can create a cozy winter haven for voles, which are active all winter and love to feed on plant roots.

Do find places on your property where leaf litter can remain in place for the winter. Caterpillars of many species—great spangled fritillary and red-banded hairstreak are two—spend the winter in leaf litter, as do spiders, beetles, millipedes and many other insects that support the birds, chipmunks and amphibians that live among us. If that’s not an option, compost your leaves for use in next year’s garden. 

Don’t be in a rush to cut back your flowering perennials, which add interest to the winter garden, and offer ecological benefits. Seed heads of black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, and lots of other plants are an important source of food for birds. Hollow stems of winterkilled perennials such as swamp milkweed and agastache may well contain brooding chambers of cavity nesting native bees. 

Don’t pull your dried annuals out. Rather, leave flowers such as marigolds and sweet alyssum in place until spring to trap blowing leaves and create a protective environment for overwintering beneficial insects such as lady beetles, lacewings, and minute pirate bugs. In addition, some dried plant stems may have butterfly chrysalises clinging to them.

Do remove plants that have obviously been affected by disease and insects. German irises and peonies generally fall into this category.

Do weed in fall. A final weeding will make your spring work easier, as some of the most persistent spring weeds—hairy bittercress and chickweed are two examples—get their start in fall.