We have developed a bad landscaping habit, the fall cleanup. We rake, or worse, blow the leaves. We cut back the stems on our perennials and put everything in yard waste bags to be carted away. In doing so, we kill our pollinators, their eggs, and other critters that overwinter in the leaf litter, interrupt the natural soil building process, remove insulation for plants, and create unnecessary (and often noisy) work for ourselves.
How do we break a habit we have been doing for generations, a habit that gives us a feeling of accomplishment, one that marks a rite of passage for autumn?
We make a decision to prioritize the creatures other than ourselves, and start a better habit. We no longer do a fall cleanup; we do a fall neatening.
Instructions:
Leave the leaves.
Don’t want leaves or sticks on the lawn? Rake them into a brush pile.
Rake leaves into the bed, not out.
Leave the stems and seed heads of your dead plants so our native bees can lay their eggs in them, and so birds can eat the seeds.
Check for cocoons and chrysalises on outdoor pots. Leave planters outside and create winter arrangements.
Leave expired plants on site instead of composting. Tuck them under a shrub or put them in a brush pile. This protects insects and their overwintering eggs.
Sweep the driveway, the walkways, the sidewalks. Aside from trash, put it back into the garden.
Use sticks and branches to make artwork, borders, or retaining walls for slopes.
Clean your tools and put your gardening equipment away.
Adjust your aesthetic and embrace a wilder look.
Enjoy a cup of apple cider and know that by doing less, you are doing more.
Tori Antonino is an ecological landscaper living in Somerville, Massachusetts. She is currently a candidate for the Union Square Neighbourhood Council.
