Birds and Blooms Extra – September 01, 2019

14 birdsandblooms.com SEPTEMBER EXTRA 2019

YARD SMARTS

M

LEFT

AND

TOP:

STEVE

AND

DAVE

MASLOWSKI;

RIGHT:

BOR-ZEBRA/ISTOCK

indsets are

changing

about annual

garden cleanup. Many

gardeners work very hard

after the growing season

to ensure that their beds

are pristine come spring,

but experts recommend

taking a softer approach

to regular landscape and

garden maintenance.

“Look at your garden

through a different lens,

and have less focus on

complete tidiness. Think

about what parts of the

garden serve as habitat

for wildlife,” says David

Ellis, director of commu-

nications at the American

Horticultural Society.

Raking leaves, tidying

beds and picking up

debris from your yard

could remove chrysalises,

egg cases and the leaf

litter that helps protect

them. When you leave

landscapes a bit unkempt,

you provide food, shelter

and nesting material

for wildlife such as

birds, bees, butterflies

and other insects—and

help them survive

winter, their harshest

season. Plus, when you

keep organic matter in

gardens or woodland, it

decomposes and provides

Say Yes to the Mess

Support backyard wildlife with a more laid-back approach

to garden cleanup. BY KELSEY ROSETH

Leave sunflower

heads in place to

attract and feed

seed eaters like

northern cardinals.