Bugs’ bedtime means rolling out the mulch

After a week of dreary weather, even diehards have been feeling as though they’re under house arrest, unable to spend much time in the garden.

We hate to admit the outdoor season is almost over. Until the ground is frozen, we’ll find something to do, even if it’s pulling weeds. I find it’s worthwhile doing this because weeds always stand out like a green thumb at this time of year and they’re easy to pull when the ground is soaked.

I call it getting a head start on spring, which is what the weeds are doing. I must admit, however, apart from piling bags of leaves to produce mulch and leaf mould, I am running out of things to do. The hoses are drained, tender perennials are in cold storage, and tender pots are stored away. That’s about all I do for the actual garden bedtime routine — anything else, I still consider regular gardening.

As for cutting back plants, current thinking regarding extreme tidying has changed considerably, something this lazy gardener has long avoided. If a neat and tidy garden is your preference, the choice is certainly yours to make. One purpose of a garden is to bring peace and contentment to the gardener, and if that means not a fallen leaf or dishevelled plant in sight, so be it.

Allowing a garden to enter winter in disarray mirrors the natural process. In nature, no one trims, prunes, or cuts back plants in fall. They simply flop in place to decompose and return nutrients to the soil. The same thing happens with leaves that form a blanket on the forest floor. Even in a forest, spring flowers always manage to poke through that layer.

Besides providing free fertilizer, the debris provides a winter home for countless essential insects, including pollinators like solitary bees. They burrow into the stems of plants or settle in under the leaf layer. The chrysalis of a butterfly awaits spring attached to bark and branches. Others, like the eastern comma and Millbert’s tortoiseshell, hide in the leaf litter during winter. They’re the first to emerge in spring to begin their quest for a mate. Do you really want to turf them out of their winter home like a rogue landlord?

Spiders, beetles, amphibians and small mammals also hunker down, out of sight. Before taking a break as the ground freezes, myriad invertebrates and unbelievable numbers of microbes are at work. They’re the recyclers that feed on decaying plant matter. Let these unpaid helpers do much of the cleanup work for you. They may be a little slower, but they’ll get the job done eventually. Sure, less than desirable critters will also be seeking winter lodgings. Not all these creatures make it through because ground-feeding birds in fall and spring will flip the leaves seeking hidden treats.

If you tend to be a neatnik, sure, rake leaves off the front lawn, but rake them onto the flower beds. In the backyard, leave a corner at least that will be undisturbed.

Now that I’ve convinced you to go easy on the bedtime routine, you might be at a loose end, so why not plant more spring bulbs?

If planting bulbs in the garden in November doesn’t sound appealing, forcing them indoors is fun. Despite the aggressive tone of forcing, don’t let that stop you — the bulbs won’t mind.

Choose a short, early blooming variety, stick them in a pot and leave them in a cool, dark place for about 12 weeks. When the shoots are up a few inches, move them to a bright, sunny window to stimulate blooming. When they do, it will be a February prelude to spring. Chances are, you’ll be needing it by then.

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