Garden Gate – October 2019

PHOTO:

Courtesy

of

Bobbie

Schwartz

GardenGateMagazine.com | GARDEN GATE 33

Clean up the garden over time

Alan Branhagen

Director of Operations,

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Cleaning up the garden in the fall is a lot of work but saving

it all for spring can be just as exhausting. Alan’s advice: don’t

make a chore out of cleaning up the fall garden.

CUT ONLY WHEN YOU NEED TO Instead of rushing out

to clean it all at once, leave perennials standing and don’t

worry about cleaning them up until the stems start to flop

with wind or snow or the plant in general becomes an eye-

sore. Some perennials are nice to look at even as their stems

turn yellow, but when it’s not so nice anymore, go ahead and

cut them back. It’s fine to cut perennials in winter as long

as you only cut them back to 1 foot tall. The leftover stems

protect plants and provide a spot for nesting bees.

BUNDLE UP One of Alan’s reasons for cleaning up the

garden slowly is that it gives him a reason to enjoy the out-

doors in the winter. If that seems shocking, Alan, who mostly

gardened in Missouri until his recent move to Minnesota, says

even a chilly winter garden can be enjoyed as long as you

wear the right clothing! Another of his favorite parts of the

winter garden is to attract birds.

BIRDS WILL COME Birds do love the nutrition from seed

heads left through the winter, but some birds also love leaf

litter. Alan recommends leaving leaves in the perennial bed

for the sake of pollinators, but also for the birds,

such as white-throated sparrows and Eastern

towhees, who scratch through leaves to

snack on grubs. Some leaves, such as oak,

which roll up and decompose quickly, or

honeylocust, with small leaflets, can be left

whole in the garden without a worry. But

other trees, such as Norway maple

and ginkgo, take longer to decompose and can

stick together, suppressing plants and lawn.

Either plan to chop these leaves up with a

mower before leaving them in your garden

or avoid growing them at all.

For many years, Bobbie has been working with gardeners in

Ohio to help them design dream gardens and equip them

with knowledge so that they can become great gardeners.

Here’s a secret about Bobbie: She actually doesn’t like the

term “fall garden cleanup” at all. Instead, she prefers to pre-

serve the fall garden so that it looks good in winter.

DON’T RAKE Once again, fallen leaves are an important

part of the garden — they are Mother Nature’s way of

nurturing the soil. It may take longer than a season, but

insects and microbes gradually break down the fallen leaves

into a valuable humus for your soil. Don’t bother shredding

them, but covering leaves with a thin layer of mulch helps

hurry decomposition a bit. Only worry about raking thick piles

of leaves gently away from ground cover perennials to keep

them from getting smothered.

SCULPTURES IN THE SNOW Not only do perennials and

ornamental grasses feed and protect wildlife, they also provide

incredible form and texture in winter and fall, especially when

covered in snow. Don’t cut them back and they’ll serve as a

visual reminder that the garden isn’t dead! The only exception

is for disease. Cut the diseased stems back to the basal foliage

and leave the healthy stems. Most ornamental grasses should

be cut back in spring, except for bluegrasses — just comb out

the dead leaves with your fingers in spring.

What about the common concern that certain plants,

such as brunnera, won’t be able to emerge through dead

foliage in spring, or bearded iris will become infested with

insects if uncut? Bobbie has never had a problem with plants

emerging, and instead of growing bearded iris, she grows

Siberian iris. It blooms longer, need less maintenance and has

interesting seed heads and bronzy foliage, which you can see

in the photo below, in winter. If you cut back perennials in the

fall, you might miss a plant’s subtle beauty in winter.

Enjoy the winter garden

Bobbie Schwartz

Landscape Designer and Author of

Garden Renovation: Transform Your Yard

into the Garden of Your Dreams

Birds, like

this goldfinch,

depend on

seedheads for

their winter

sustenance.

Not all

perennials

turn yellow-

brown for

winter. Some

have a silvery

or bronze cast

and make a

pretty scene

together.

GG14930_33_FallCleanUp.indd 33GG14930_33_FallCleanUp.indd 33 6/26/2019 10:35:44 AM6/26/2019 10:35:44 AM

PHOTO:

Courtesy

of

Bobbie

Schwartz

GardenGateMagazine.com | GARDEN GATE 33

Cleanupthe gardenover time

Alan Branhagen

DirectorofOperations,

MinnesotaLandscapeArboretum

Cleaningupthegardeninthefallis a lotofworkbutsaving

it allforspringcanbejustasexhausting.Alan’sadvice:don’t

makea choreoutofcleaningupthefallgarden.

CUTONLYWHENYOUNEEDTOInsteadofrushingout

tocleanit allatonce,leaveperennialsstandinganddon’t

worryaboutcleaningthemupuntilthestemsstarttoflop

withwindorsnowortheplantingeneralbecomesaneye-

sore.Someperennialsarenicetolookatevenastheirstems

turnyellow,butwhenit’snotsoniceanymore,goaheadand

cutthemback.It’sfinetocutperennialsinwinteraslong

asyouonlycutthembackto1 foottall.Theleftoverstems

protectplantsandprovidea spotfornestingbees.

BUNDLEUPOneofAlan’sreasonsforcleaningupthe

gardenslowlyis thatit giveshima reasontoenjoytheout-

doorsinthewinter.If thatseemsshocking,Alan,whomostly

gardenedinMissouriuntilhisrecentmovetoMinnesota,says

evena chillywintergardencanbeenjoyedaslongasyou

weartherightclothing!Anotherofhisfavoritepartsofthe

wintergardenis toattractbirds.

BIRDSWILLCOMEBirdsdolovethenutritionfromseed

headsleftthroughthewinter,butsomebirdsalsoloveleaf

litter.Alanrecommendsleavingleavesintheperennialbed

forthesakeofpollinators,butalsoforthebirds,

suchaswhite-throatedsparrowsandEastern

towhees,whoscratchthroughleavesto

snackongrubs.Someleaves,suchasoak,

whichrollupanddecomposequickly,or

honeylocust,withsmallleaflets,canbeleft

wholeinthegardenwithouta worry.But

othertrees,suchasNorwaymaple

andginkgo,takelongertodecomposeandcan

sticktogether,suppressingplantsandlawn.

Eitherplantochoptheseleavesupwitha

mowerbeforeleavingtheminyourgarden

oravoidgrowingthematall.

Formanyyears,Bobbiehasbeenworkingwithgardenersin

Ohiotohelpthemdesigndreamgardensandequipthem

withknowledgesothattheycanbecomegreatgardeners.

Here’sa secretaboutBobbie:Sheactuallydoesn’tlikethe

term“fallgardencleanup”atall.Instead,shepreferstopre-

servethefallgardensothatit looksgoodinwinter.

DON’TRAKE Onceagain,fallenleavesareanimportant

partofthegarden—theyareMotherNature’swayof

nurturingthesoil.It maytakelongerthana season,but

insectsandmicrobesgraduallybreakdownthefallenleaves

intoa valuablehumusforyoursoil.Don’tbothershredding

them,butcoveringleaveswitha thinlayerofmulchhelps

hurrydecompositiona bit.Onlyworryaboutrakingthickpiles

ofleavesgentlyawayfromgroundcoverperennialstokeep

themfromgettingsmothered.

SCULPTURESINTHESNOWNotonlydoperennialsand

ornamentalgrassesfeedandprotectwildlife,theyalsoprovide

incredibleformandtextureinwinterandfall,especiallywhen

coveredinsnow.Don’tcutthembackandthey’llserveasa

visualreminderthatthegardenisn’tdead!Theonlyexception

is fordisease.Cutthediseasedstemsbacktothebasalfoliage

andleavethehealthystems.Mostornamentalgrassesshould

becutbackinspring,exceptforbluegrasses—justcombout

thedeadleaveswithyourfingersinspring.

Whataboutthecommonconcernthatcertainplants,

suchasbrunnera,won’tbeabletoemergethroughdead

foliageinspring,orbeardediriswillbecomeinfestedwith

insectsif uncut?Bobbiehasneverhada problemwithplants

emerging,andinsteadofgrowingbeardediris,shegrows

Siberianiris.It bloomslonger,needlessmaintenanceandhas

interestingseedheadsandbronzyfoliage,whichyoucansee

inthephotobelow,inwinter.If youcutbackperennialsinthe

fall,youmightmissa plant’ssubtlebeautyinwinter.

Enjoythe wintergarden

Bobbie Schwartz

LandscapeDesignerandAuthorof

GardenRenovation:TransformYourYard

intotheGardenofYourDreams

Birds, like
this goldfinch,
depend on
seedheads for
their winter
sustenance.

Not all

perennials

turn yellow-

brown for

winter. Some

have a silvery

or bronze cast

and make a

pretty scene

together.