This is typically the time of year when we begin doing a fall cleanup, which includes raking and disposing of leaves, cutting back spent plants, etc. The horticultural and landscaping industries have sold us on images of the perfect yard and garden,with charming and quaint touches, well-ordered flower beds, and precisely trimmed grass. But should you do a fall cleanup? There is an important movement in gardening and landscaping that suggests maybe you shouldn't.
Why? As many of you know, we are in an ecological crisis, losing may important insects, which are the basic building blocks (aka food) for birds, mammals and us (no pollinators = little food). We have even been taught to be frightened of insects! But these vital links in our ecosystems often overwinter in leaf litter, in the hollow stems of plants that have died back, and in brush piles. Remove them, and you kill an entire generation.
So, leave the plants standing until spring. Gently tidy that brush pile, but don't destroy it or move it about too much. If you must rake leaves, do so gently and leave them in a pile.
The A Way to Garden podcast with Margaret Roach recently had an interview with Doug Tallamy, one of the most visible and thoughtful proponents on this approach:
For more on Tallamy's work, suggestions, and ideas, go to:
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