Think fall means it’s time to tidy up your garden? Think again.

Many gardeners discover that a little mess can create a winter wonderland for local wildlife and save time and money on yard maintenance.

The scoop

Gardening expert Chris Chung (@fluent.garden) went to Instagram share why letting your garden be a little messy this fall might be the best thing for your garden’s ecosystem.

The approach is surprisingly simple: Instead of cleaning everything up, leave dead leaves as natural mulch and keep plant stems a few inches tall. These hollow stems become cozy homes for beneficial insectswhile the layer of leaves acts as a protective covering for your soil and its tiny inhabitants.

“Even if the colors have faded, leaving the seeds head high gives your garden neat textures in winter, and plants like coneflowers and anise hyssop provide valuable food for birds during the colder months,” says Chung in his video.

How it helps

First of all, this low-maintenance approach saves time and money. No more back-breaking hours spent cleaning up every last leaf, and you can avoid purchasing expensive mulch since nature provides it for free.

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But the benefits go beyond your wallet. Your garden becomes a vital refuge for local birds, who feast on the seed heads of flowers such as coneflowers. Beneficial insects like a native bees and ladybugs use the hollow stems as shelter, while dead leaves protect your soil from erosion and naturally enrich it for spring.

This natural approach also reduces waste in landfills, where yard waste can produce harmful gases and decompose without an adequate flow of oxygen.

What everyone is saying

Gardeners are enthusiastically adopting this simpler, wildlife-friendly approach.

What is the hardest thing about maintaining your garden?

Mow the lawn

Weed control

Keep pests at bay

I don’t have a yard

Click on your choice to see the results and express your opinion

“It seems like every year we lazy gardeners are vindicated again!” » one commenter celebrated.

Others are already seeing the rewards: “I left a lot of stems last year, which led to a ladybug boom this year!”

“In the fall, I just clean up any diseases and weeds or seeds that I don’t want to spread. Everything else waits until spring, when temperatures are above 10°C,” explained another gardener. “I see more and more butterflies, native beesladybugs and hoverflies.”

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