Stop raking! Why experts urge gardeners to leave the leaves where they fall

With autumn here, many gardeners feel the urge to tidy up their outdoor spaces, but experts are warning that one job on the list could be doing more harm than good. Clearing away fallen leaves may leave your lawn looking neat, but it removes vital shelter and food sources for the very wildlife our gardens depend on.

We asked garden wildlife expert, Lucy Taylor of Vine House Farm Bird Foods, what best practice looks like when preparing gardens for autumn and winter, and this is what she had to say:

Leave perennial plants to rot down rather than cutting back
“Whilst you might want to trim longer stems off and those with dead flower heads during the autumn, leaving perennial plants in beds and pots to rot down naturally during the winter months has a great benefit to wildlife – and also helps enrich soil. The benefit to wildlife comes from the fact that the ground immediately below the rotting vegetation is at least partly protected from frost, with this allowing invertebrates such as insects to shelter or hibernate, which in turn become food for birds. Worms will also remain closer to the surface of the protected ground as they consume the rotting vegetation, which then also makes them food for birds, including Robins and Blackbirds.

Think of fallen leaves as a good thing!
“We’ve long had a bit of an obsession in the UK for clearing up fallen leaves in our gardens and then disposing of them, but attitudes are changing and it’s much better to see autumn leaves as something of a harvest. In the same way that invertebrates use the dead foliage of the perennial plants for protection and food, the same is true for leaves. So create piles of leaves in the corners of your garden, spread them onto borders, or, with the exceptions of paths and patios, just let them remain where they’ve fallen.

Create habitat piles
“A habitat pile is typically a mound of branches, twigs, old plants, hedge trimmings and other garden materials, which can be any size and shape – though ideally aim to get some height in it and up to one metre or so. Habitat piles benefit wildlife in a number of ways, with an important one being somewhere to shelter or even hibernate for small mammals, including hedgehogs, plus amphibians like frogs and toads. Insects and spiders will also hide within the structure, with these then becoming food for small songbirds and notably Wrens.

No better time to put up nest boxes
“Along with ensuring that birds such as Blue tits have somewhere to nest come the early spring, putting up nest boxes now gives a number of different species somewhere to safely spend the long cold nights. Choosing the right types of nest boxes and knowing where to site them can be difficult if you don’t have the prior knowledge, but you’ll find plenty of advice and tutorial videos for the subject on the Vine House Farm Bird Foods website – plus lots more about how to attract birds and other wildlife to your garden.”

By resisting the urge to rake up every leaf and cut back every plant, you’re giving insects, birds, hedgehogs and even frogs the best chance of making it through the colder months. And as Lucy points out, gardening for wildlife often means doing less work, not more.