It’s time to get our gardens ready for winter as the seasons shift. At Great Bear Native Plants, we’re already planning for the fall season ahead. How can we prepare our yards this fall to ensure they flourish while supporting the wildlife sharing our spaces? Here’s some habitat-friendly advice on how to manage leaves, which plants to prune, and which ones to leave standing until spring. Let’s begin with the leaves.
Leaf them be
Instead of raking and discarding fallen leaves this fall, why not leave them where they are or stashing them in a less visible spot! These leaves are important in natural areas, providing essential shelter and insulation for pollinators, beneficial insects, and wildlife during the colder months. Here are some more examples of who loves the leaves hut:
Bumblebee Queens burrow into the earth to hibernate, and a layer of leaves offers extra protection.
Red-banded Hairstreak Butterflies lay their eggs on fallen oak leaves, which become food for emerging caterpillars.
Luna Moth Caterpillars use leaves to spin their cocoons, which later fall onto the ground where they can lay hidden.
Long-Toed Salamanders and other amphibians rely on leaf litter to maintain moisture and create protective habitats.
We encourage you to let leaves rest where they fall, gather them in a back corner, add them to your compost, or use them as mulch for your garden beds, shrubs, and trees. Speaking of trees, let’s talk about pruning.
To Prune or Not to Prune
DECIDUOUS SHRUBS & TREES
Winter is an ideal time for pruning deciduous plants (woody plants that lose their leaves) because they are dormant. Here are some basic rules that should be followed before cutting:
Prune During Dormancy: Focus on removing dead, diseased, or crossing branches, and trim suckers at the base of the tree.
Limit Pruning: Avoid cutting more than one-third of the living vegetation in a single season.
What to Prune: Most fruit, flowering, and shade trees benefit from winter pruning, helping to shape their structure and encourage healthy growth.
What Not to Prune: Spring-flowering shrubs like Forsythia and Lilac should be pruned after blooming (as they flower on last year’s wood.) Similarly, summer-blooming shrubs should be left untrimmed over winter.
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES
As you finish up with your trees and shrubs, it’s time to turn your attention to ornamental grasses! These grasses not only add beauty and texture to your garden during the winter months, like glowing in the sunshine and enhancing the landscape but they also provide vital shelter for insects and birds. Standing grasses offer protection for overwintering insect eggs and serve as a source of seeds and shelter for birds. Just like with your trees, knowing when and how to prune your grasses ensures they thrive next spring. Here are some notes on grass pruning:
Warm-Season Grasses: Should be cut back in mid-spring to protect the plant’s crown and encourage new growth as temperatures rise. Examples include Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium) and Big Bluestem (Andropogon).
Cool-Season Grasses: These have evergreen foliage that shouldn’t be cut to the ground. Instead, comb out dead leaves with gloved hands and trim dead leaf tips in late fall. Examples include Idaho Fescue (Festuca idahoensis) and Prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha).
Grass Maintenance: If a grass plant has a ring of living leaves with a dead center, it’s time to divide the plant to rejuvenate it. This is typically needed every three to five years, depending on the species and growing conditions.
PERENNIAL PLANTS & FLOWERS
It's a good idea to leave perennials standing as well. These plants will often provide the same shelter. Seed-bearing perennials such as Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium), and others, also provide valuable winter food for songbirds. Plus, perennials are more cold-hardy when their stems are left standing over the winter. Here are some notes about perennials:
When to Cut Back: Wait until mid-spring to trim perennials.
Disease Management: If any plants show signs of summer/fall disease or pest infestation, these damaged plants should be cut back, and scraps are thrown away in the trash, not the compost, to prevent the disease or pests from spreading.
Wet Climates: To prevent rot, avoid letting many layers of fallen leaves pile up over untrimmed perennials. Instead, chop the leaves and use them as mulch to enrich your soil.
LAWN AND MEADOW CARE
As we wrap up the fall garden preparations, don’t forget to tend to your lawns and meadows! Proper care in the fall sets the stage for healthy growth and resilience through the winter months. Here’s what you need to know for your grass and meadow areas:
Native Buffalo Grass, Blue Grama Grass, and Dog Tuff Lawns:
Perform the final mowing in late October.
Mow the grass high, leaving it at least 4 inches tall.
Avoid scalping the lawn, as cutting too short weakens the grass and makes it more susceptible to cold and dry conditions.
Grass Meadows and Wildflower Meadows:
Leave them standing throughout the winter.
Like ornamental grasses and perennials, these meadows provide valuable habitat and beauty during the colder months.
While your garden may look dormant in winter, it’s actually supporting a host of creatures when you leave leaves, flower stalks, and grasses in place. With thoughtful practices in place, you’ll be well-prepared for a beautiful spring. From all of us at Great Bear Native Plants, enjoy your winter garden and the life it nurtures.
Sources:
Bee city USA
High Country Gardens
Abundant Montana
The National Wildlife Federation
Montana state University
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