fall down garden killing can be very trying , but it does n’t have to be . In this post , I will severalize you when to start and which chores you may safely skip .

Then I ’ll give you my 5 best tip and hacks to speed thing up , as well as putz and technique you may use to simplify your life .

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5 Tips To Simplify Fall Garden Cleanup

My garden in the fall before cleanup it up

Do You Really Need To Clean Your Garden In The Fall?

When I first begin gardening , I thought I had to completely clean all of my layer and get everything done before the snow fly . And I signify everything .

I thought I had to remove every lilliputian act of deadened plant cloth , fallen leaf , and other junk in the fall ( I ’m a bit of a clean freak ) . OMG did I make things stressful for myself !

Well guess what ? You do n’t need to have a altogether white garden in the capitulation after all . In fact , it ’s actually good to forget many things in your beds until spring .

5 Tips To Simplify Fall Garden Cleanup

Chores You Can Skip

Here are three major fall garden task that you could skip all together if you desire , which will hold open you tons of prison term ( and stress ) .

Keep The Leaves In Your Garden

Leaves are good for the garden and feed the soil as they break down . They also help to add a layer of wintertime mulch that can protect your plants from the harsh cold .

So do n’t drop time make clean them out , go forth them in your beds . They ’ll break down quickly , and you could mulch in good order over them .

Leave The Foliage On Your Plants

deadened industrial plant material is a wonderful place for good dirt ball to hibernate during the wintertime . Removing all of the works material in the fall means you could be destroying the good bugs that winter in your garden .

So do n’t tailor everything back . The one big exception to this is fleur-de-lis . You definitely desire to cut those down in the fall toavoid an iris borer infestationnext summer .

Don’t Deadhead All Of The Flowers

flush , like coneflowers and sunflowers , have source that feed the birds , squirrels , and other fauna through the wintertime calendar month . So do n’t remove all of the flower heads , leave some out there to feed the wildlife .

Many perennials are also wonderfulwinter interest plants , so you may keep to enjoy your gardens even when they ’re covered by snow .

When To Clean Up Your Garden In The Fall

The good time to commence is after the first few freezes have killed most of the plants . Freezing temperature are a induction for perennials that it ’s time to begin the appendage of going dormant .

If you start cutting thing back too early it could trigger novel growth , and you do n’t need to do that in the fall or it could floor the plant . So it ’s good to expect until everything is fully abeyant .

5 Fall Garden Cleanup Tips That Will Simplify Your Life

Over the twelvemonth I ’ve hail up with several shortcuts to speed thing up for myself .

1. Don’t Cut Everything Back

In the fall you should cut down too soon - flower perennials , like peonies , tulip , bleeding center , and irises for example .

That way you do n’t have to worry about damaging the new growth when youclean up your garden in the spring .

I also commend deadheading strong-growing self - seeder , like genus Rudbeckia , columbine , and liatris , so they do n’t circulate all over your garden .

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2. Get Yourself A Leaf Blower

Trust me on this , a leaf bloweris deserving every centime . I used to be a rake girl , and actually kinda enjoyed raking the K ( until my implements of war felt like they would settle off ) .

But now that I have a blower , I ca n’t conceive how much easier it bring in my drop garden cleaning . All I have to do now is blow the folio flop into my beds or a nice , great wad . It ’s much faster and easier .

3. Use Your Lawn Mower As A Leaf Vacuum

Another huge time recoverer is using your lawn mower like a emptiness cleaner to give suck up the leaves from your lawn .

Put the bag on your mower to capture the clippings , then dump them intoyard wastefulness dish , your compost bin , or straight into your garden to use as mulch .

Or , leave the mower bag off and mulch the farewell direct into the lawn or else , they ’re good for the grass too .

My garden in the fall before cleanup it up

My garden in the fall before cleanup it up

Related Post : How To Winterize Your Garden

4. Use A Hedge Trimmer To Cut Back Perennials

Another one of my favorite tumble cleanup hacks is using ahedge trimmerto quickly and efficiently cut down down my perennials . Hand heldhedge shearsalso work nifty if you do n’t have an electrical one .

I used to drop minute and hours trim back everything back with hand pruners until my husband came out with the electric trimmer to help me one day , and it was a biz changer !

It takes a few seconds to cut back each plant . Then all I have to do is break up up the cuttings and chuck out them into the yard waste bin .

Fall perennial beds ready to be cleanup up

5. Focus On Critical Fall Garden Cleanup Tasks & Let The Rest Go

My last tip to simplify your fall garden cleanup is to focus onthe most essential job , and countenance the eternal sleep go . Do n’t worry , it will be waiting for you in the leap .

I bid someone would have dedicate me this advice when I was a fledgling , because it really does take the tenseness and blackjack off .

More Gardening Tips

Peony plant ready to be cut back in the fall

Blowing leaves off of the lawn in the fall

Cleaning up a pile of leaves with my lawn mower

Cutting down a plant with my hedge trimmers