Now that garden season is starting to wind down, I have some time again to share my tips! Today’s tip is Lazy is Best.

This tip specifically relates to fall and winter/early spring gardening and is dependent upon the gardener not being lazy during the growing season when weeds must be pulled and plants cut back when necessary. However, once the leaves start to fall, it is best to cozy up and enjoy your garden as is, rather than doing a lot of maintenance work.

There are a few reasons for this. First, flowers that are allowed to go to seed provide natural nourishment to birds during the seasons when food is sparse. Last year, we left our sunflower standing throughout the winter and were thrilled to watch the birds slowly peck away at the seeds that lined its face.

The second reason to leave your dying plants untouched is that standing stems provide shelter for insects and their eggs over the winter. This is why you may have seen posts telling you not to start gardening in the spring until it has reached a consistent fifty degrees. If you must chop down your dying plants, try to leave several inches of growth at the base, and lay the chopped stocks in a loose pile in a corner of your yard. This will provide some homes for insects and minimize your chances of disturbing those that have already taken up residence in your flowers.

Another reason that Lazy is Best is root protection. We have a bed of chrysanthemums that come back every year. Technically, the recommendation is to cover them with straw to keep them safe from our mid-West winters. However, I have found that when I leave the dead stocks standing until they are dry, I am able to cut them and let them fall in place to protect my roots. This saves me a lot of time and some money.

Letting the dead growth fall in place has other benefits. In the natural environment, nutrition is meant to cycle from the ground into the plants and then back into the earth when the plants die and decompose. Being lazy when it is not growing season allows this natural process to happen, making your soil more fertile for the next year. Just make sure that the decaying plant matter does not create too thick a barrier over your bed. Air needs to be able to get in and dry things out so that your roots don’t rot. Similarly, some plants will produce fertile seeds that can spread in your beds and help you fill in spaces between plants that would otherwise attract weeds. You may even be able to enjoy an annual plant two years in a row if it reseeds its self! Unfortunately, this will not always happen since many cultivated plants have sterile seeds, but most native plants and some others will spread via seed.

The last reason Lazy is Best is purely cosmetic. You have worked so hard all year to make your garden look interesting but if you chop down all of your growth in the fall, you miss out on its visual interest over the winter. Plants that are allowed to remain standing after they have died add different shapes, textures, and dimensions to your yard. They may also provide places for stunning icicles to form, snow to form natural sculptures, or Christmas lights to hang. Don’t turn your yard into a boring wasteland for the winter. Let it remain magical and intriguing.

So what should you be doing as part of your lazy autumn gardening? Here are some ideas to keep you busy:

1. Mulch your fallen leaves and spread them over your beds. This saves a ton of money and provides your garden with valuable nutrients.
2. Take in any lawn decorations that won’t withstand the winter.
3. Dig up and bring in the bulbs of plants that can’t overwinter (my calla lilies are about to come into the dark garage where they will spend the colder months).
4. Plant bulbs for spring flowers. Add a few each year for an eventual fairyland.
5. Do any pruning for plants that require fall cutting.
6. Cut back the bare minimum in your front yard to keep your HOA happy. Just make sure you pile the plant stocks loosely in an undisturbed corner of your yard.
7. Make sure the birds have plenty of food and a water source that will not freeze over the winter (you can find heated bird baths that you just plug into your outdoor electrical outlet).

Have a happy, lazy fall!