By: Kayla Wyse
As autumn settles across Ohio, many gardeners feel the urge to begin cleaning up flower beds and landscapes before winter arrives.
Removing dead foliage and cutting back perennials can certainly make a garden look tidy, but not everything should be removed in the fall.
In fact, many plants and garden features provide important benefits for birds, pollinators and beneficial insects throughout the winter months. Knowing what to cut back and what to leave standing can help create a healthier and more wildlife-friendly garden.
Plants To Cut Back
Some perennials benefit from fall cleanup, particularly those that have experienced disease issues during the growing season. Plants with diseased foliage can harbor pathogens that may survive the winter and reappear the following year.
Plants that become mushy or collapse after a hard frost can also be cut back. Removing this decaying material may improve the appearance of garden beds and reduce hiding places for certain garden pests.
Plants To Leave Standing
Not all perennials need to be cut back in autumn. Many provide winter interest while serving important ecological functions. Seed heads from coneflowers, black-eyed Susans and ornamental grasses provide food for birds throughout the fall and winter months.
Goldfinches and other songbirds frequently feed on seeds that remain available long after flowering has ended.
Standing stems also provide valuable habitat for native bees and other beneficial insects. Many solitary bee species overwinter inside hollow or pithy stems, while other insects seek protection among dried plant material. Premature cleanup can unintentionally remove these important nesting and overwintering sites.
Leave The Leaves
One of the most beneficial things gardeners can do is resist removing every fallen leaf. Leaves can serve as a natural mulch, helping to moderate soil temperatures and conserve moisture.
They also provide shelter for butterflies, moths, beetles and countless other beneficial organisms that spend part of their life cycle in leaf litter.
Rather than removing all leaves from the property, consider shredding them and using them as mulch around trees, shrubs and perennial beds. Composting excess leaves is another excellent way to recycle nutrients back into the garden.
Wait Until Spring
A good rule of thumb is to delay extensive garden cleanup until temperatures consistently warm in spring. By waiting, gardeners provide wildlife with critical winter habitat while still having the opportunity to remove old growth before new plants emerge.
A perfectly clean garden may look appealing in October, but nature often benefits from a little messiness.
If you have specific questions you would like answered in an upcoming column, please contact faes-williamsextension@osu.edu.
Until next time, stay curious about what’s growing in our corner of Ohio.
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Kayla Wyse serves as the Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator for Williams County, where she has been supporting residents since 2023. She holds a Master’s in Plant Health Management from The Ohio State University. Kayla is passionate about entomology, soil science, and helping people feel confident in their gardening and growing skills.
