Fall and winter garden care: do’s and don’ts for a healthy habitat

Crisp air ushers in fall, which to many signals, "It's time to prune." Before grabbing pruners, ask whose home is this - birds, bees, other garden life? What does it provide?

To keep your garden both beautiful and supportive of wildlife, consider these:

Don'ts:

• Trees: Avoid topping trees and let fallen leaves stay where they are.

• Ornamental grasses: Don't cut back clumping warm-season grasses. (Grasses that thrive in summer.)

Dos:

• Trees: Keep fallen leaves out to the drip line, 2 - 3" deep. Keep dead branches, tree trunks for habitat value -- shelter, food, nesting, etc. Looks untidy? Place where not seen.

• Ornamental grasses: Leave some seed heads on warm season grasses for habitat. Check for nesting creatures before cutting back just as new growth appears.

• Shrubs and perennials: Leave some spent flowers, seed pods, upright hollow stems for habitat.

• Soil: Leave some bare, undisturbed soil for ground-nesters.

"Gardens are more than beautiful landscapes; they're living systems," says Cheryl Buckwalter, landscape educator. "When we choose to leave leaves, stems, and seed heads in place through fall and winter, we're not being untidy. We're giving pollinators, birds, and other creatures the food and shelter they need to survive and thrive."

For water saving gardening ideas, visit our Inspiration Garden at Mahany Park or get ideas at Roseville.ca.us/inspirationgarden.