Leave it messy — the case for an overgrown winter garden

Most people consider autumn to be cleanup time in the garden, sometimes removing most of the shelter for wildlife and leaving overwintering critters homeless in the process. Why not support wildlife by postponing tidying up until the end of winter?

Allowing ornamental plantings to overwinter in their natural state provides sheltering habitat for a range of creatures, especially native bees, butterflies and other beneficial species. Many spend the winter in one form or another in dead flower stems or other plant parts. They tuck themselves under leaf litter and other plant debris, or nestle into plant crowns, sheltered from predators and cold, drying winds. The seeds in dried flower heads nourish hungry birds throughout the cold months.

Standing dry plant stems add visual interest to the winter garden with their unusual architectural quality. And they look wonderful covered in frost or spiderwebs. When you cut them down come spring, leave them in a stack for a while to allow overwintering residents to emerge.

Depending on the species, native bees will take winter refuge in bark or under dried leaves. They’ll also nest in hollowed-out stems and decomposing branches. Some will even burrow into the ground to reproduce and ride out the winter, which is why providing undisturbed places is an important part of bee stewardship.

Butterflies and moths also overwinter in our gardens — as chrysalises attached to dead plant stalks or leaves, or caterpillars sheltered under leaf lit-

ter or snug inside a seedpod. Still others overwinter as eggs attached to plant parts or buried under leaves. Remarkably, some adult butterflies even tuck themselves into tree-bark crevices for the winter.

If bees and butterflies aren’t reason enough to leave the garden untidy, think about other resident beneficials such as praying mantises, lacewings, spiders, ground beetles and ladybugs. These insects and arachnids are predators that eat other insects, including some problematic pests for our flowers and vegetables. Leaving leaf litter for these creatures to burrow under in the winter allows them to get a jumpstart minimizing pest infestations in the spring.

The dried blades of ornamental grasses and flowering perennial heads also offer cover and food for many kinds of birds. One stop in a garden packed with shriveled fruits and dead, seed-filled native flowers equals a smorgasbord for resident and migratory birds alike during cold or snowy months.

An overgrown winter garden becomes a bio-refuge brimming with nourishment for all levels of the food chain and supports native biodiversity. If you’ve already done your fall garden cleanup, why not take time to research how you might increase wildlife diversity next season? A wonderful resource is the National Wildlife Federation’s website, where you can view suggestions about how to provide birds and beneficials with the basic necessities of food, water, shelter and places to raise their young. It might add a whole other level of interest to your gardening endeavors.

A Santa Fe resident since 2000 and a Master Gardener since 2014, Stephanie Burns has honed her high-desert gardening skills with the help of classes offered through Santa Fe Botanical Garden and Santa Fe Community College. Besides gardening, she also enjoys travel, yoga and making artist books.