Winter Care in the Garden: Letting Nature Lead the Way

Winter in the garden used to be a season I rushed through. I’d tidy everything away, cut everything back, and clear the beds until they looked neat and bare. It felt productive. It felt like the right thing to do.

But over the years, and especially since moving to Birch Farm, I’ve learned that the garden benefits far more when I soften the tidy-up and let winter unfold in its own quiet, natural way.

These days, my winter routine is slower, more considered, and rooted in supporting the wildlife, the soil, and the seasons. Here’s how I look after the garden once the growing year draws to a close.

Leaving the Stems Standing

One of the most important changes I’ve made is leaving both perennial and annual beds uncut right through to early spring. It can feel a little wild at first, but there’s so much happening beyond what we see.

Hollow stems become shelter for overwintering insects, ladybirds, lacewings, solitary bees, all the tiny creatures that quietly support the garden when the new season arrives.

Seed heads also do far more than simply look pretty against the winter light.

I collect and save seed from some of the plants, but I always leave plenty behind for the birds and small mammals who visit the garden through the colder months. The seed heads become a vital food source when little else is available.

Another lovely benefit of leaving everything standing is the way the stems protect the soil. They slow down the wind, trap fallen leaves, and help hold moisture in the beds during the cold, dry spells. Even when everything looks a bit faded, there’s still so much quiet life happening there.

Many of the plants self-seed when left alone, and by spring I often find a scattering of tiny new plants dotted around the beds. Sometimes they appear in exactly the right spot; other times they surprise me in completely unexpected places. When that happens, I simply lift them gently and group them together elsewhere in the garden. It’s a free supply of new plants, and they always seem to thrive with a little extra vigour when nature has sown them.

Mulching the Dahlias

My dahlias get their own winter ritual. Once the frost has blackened the foliage, I cut the plants down, chop the stems, and scatter them over the beds. It’s a simple “chop and drop” that adds a thin protective layer just where it’s needed.

After that, I add a thick layer of rough mulch to help insulate the tubers. It protects them from the cold, helps prevent waterlogging, and slowly feeds the soil as everything breaks down.

It’s uncomplicated, gentle work on a cold day, and the dahlias always respond well when they reawaken in spring.

What Happens in Early Spring

As the light shifts and the first signs of growth return, that’s when I begin to tidy.

Perennials:

I cut back the perennial beds as soon as I can see the new shoots forming around the crown. It’s always a hopeful moment – those tight green tips pushing through the leaf litter, signalling that the garden is waking up again.

Once everything is cut back, I add a layer of mulch around each plant. I take care not to bury the crowns themselves, especially if new growth is already visible. The mulch should support rather than smother. This fresh layer enriches the soil, keeps weeds down, and helps the beds hold moisture as the days gradually warm.

Annual Beds:

The annual beds are cleared more thoroughly in early spring. I lift away the spent material, tidy the soil surface, and then add mulch to protect and enrich the beds ready for planting in late spring or early summer. This gives the soil time to rest and settle before the busy season returns.

Nothing Is Wasted

All the trimmings, perennial cuttings, annual stems, faded foliage, go straight onto the compost heap. It’s one of my favourite closed loops on the farm. What the garden finishes with this year becomes next year’s nourishment.

By late autumn, that compost has transformed into rich, rough mulch that returns to the beds again. It’s a steady, dependable rhythm that keeps the whole garden thriving.

Letting Winter Do Its Work

Winter is often seen as an ending, but in the garden it’s more of a deep pause. Leaving stems standing, protecting the soil, and resisting the urge to tidy too much creates a foundation for everything that follows.

Looking after the garden in winter isn’t really about maintenance. It’s about trust. Trusting the soil. Trusting the wildlife. Trusting that life is quietly reorganising itself beneath the surface.

And every spring, without fail, the garden shows me why this gentler approach matters.