Leaves, Bark and Movement for Winter
November 19, 2024 | 1 min to read
As New England enters “stick” season, when landscape becomes dominated by bare branches, it’s important to recognize the beauty of herbaceous perennial flowers, grasses, and shrubs that can thrive in winter. Gardeners are encouraged to leave spent flowers and foliage intact instead of cutting them back, as they serve as vital overwintering sites for beneficial insects and pollinators. This approach supports biodiversity even in the colder months.
As we move into “stick” season as we call it in New England, when mostly we’re looking at bare tree and shrub branches, it’s good to remember we can have more than “sticks” in our yards. There are herbaceous perennial flowers, grasses and shrubs that can put on quite a show, especially in locations that have less consistent snow cover in winter.
Many gardeners are quick to cut back their perennial flower gardens in fall. Current thinking is to leave the spent flowers, branches and leaves. They provide overwintering sites for beneficial insects and pollinators.
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