Cutting back your garden: Timing, tips, and answers to the big HOW!
One of the most common questions I am asked is, “When do I cut back the old flower stems in the garden?” The importance of leaving the leaves, letting old seedheads stand, and learning to appreciate the general garden detritus left over from the growing season is thankfully becoming standard knowledge. We all just get it, on a very basic level, that our insect friends need a place to overwinter and our bird friends benefit from a natural supply of seeds and berries. But, since you’ve made it this far into my page, you know the why already. I want to help you with the HOW.
In general, the flower stems stay standing in my gardens until early March (for my Indianapolis climate). What does this look like, temperature and weather-wise? Usually, we still have a really good chance of getting one last snow. Our daytime temperatures (all listed in degrees Fahrenheit here)are regularly in the 30’s and 40’s, even sneaking into the upper 50’s on those really good-for-the-soul days. At this point, it is still common to get into the 20’s at night. Those traditional and well-loved spring bulbs are starting their emergence- crocuses are likely blooming, tulips, hyacinths, daffodils are poking above ground, and migrating birds are seen flying north again. Consider these your natural cues that spring really is coming, even when those tricky temps drop low again and snow still sometimes flies.
On a warm enough day to not freeze your fingers, head out to your garden with a few different cutting tools. Cut your old flowering stems back close to the ground and bundle loosely, all facing mostly the same direction. As you are cutting, try to avoid stomping heavily or excavating aggressively any remaining piles of leaves that have collected. These are potential treasure troves of insects still finishing their important overwintering work.
Put this stem bundle in a protected spot to wait until later in the season (more on that soon). This could be along a wall of your house, against a fence, or behind a shed. I’ve even stacked mine propped in the back corner of my open-air compost bin. Anywhere that keeps this bundle from getting blown away will do.
Wait until daytime temperatures are steadily in the 50’s or more, then you can discard the stems (as any nesting native bees will have emerged for the spring). Are you heading outdoors without a jacket most of the time? If so, the bees are out already too, going about their business, and you can safely clean up the leftover stems. I prefer to chop my stems up (fairly easy now, because they are all facing in a single direction) to help them compost faster.
The key points to remember here - stems standing over winter is a good thing. Don’t scrape away leaves that have collected too early, because these are perfect habitats for insects. Set aside the bundle and just forget about it for awhile!
Despite all of this process, I want you to do what keeps you SANE. We are all hit with information overload sometimes when it comes to gardening for nature. Some years you may be all about doing this, and others, maybe you need to focus on other things. Be kind to yourself, and what you can manage. If a neighbor grumping at you about your winter garden isn’t worth the hassle, by all means do a bit more cleanup in the fall. You are still doing important work with any square foot of your yard that is something more than grass or concrete.
