January 1, 2026
Winter is officially here! The winter solstice has come, leaves have finally turned and fallen, and the Frost Weed has frosted. Never mind that we are alternating between sweaters and shorts. It is winter in the garden. Many older gardening books speak of closing down or putting a garden to bed for this season, but like children waiting to see the New Year arrive at midnight, our landscapes are not truly snoozing.
Our deciduous trees stopped producing chlorophyll. This let us see and enjoy their yellow carotene colors that were previously hidden, instead of just greens. The gorgeous reds and pinks seen across Dallas this year remind us that our autumn was dry, sunny, and certainly stayed above freezing, the conditions needed for the productions of anthocyanins. The mix of colors this year was constantly changing and quite stunning.
But now these trees are bare (my sister refers to them as stick trees) and this slimmed down profile helps to protect them and their branches from wind, snow, and ice. But those lovely leaves still have so much to offer, in one form or another across just about every landscape.
One use involves shredding leaves. This allows us to add that temperature modulating 3–6-inch layer of mulch around our trees and shrubs, or 2-3 for our flowers. That blanket is really appreciated by any newly planted perennials as they settle into their new homes. Extra shreds are perfect for composting. Whole leaves between rows in the vegetable garden keep our feet dry and relatively mud free, while they discourage pesky weeds.
But consider the advantages of doing nothing at all in much of your flower beds and lawns, leaving even a small section of your landscape undisturbed, with plant stems untrimmed and fallen leaves where they fall this winter. Those stems and leaf litter house the insects that will populate, pollinate, and protect our plants next spring. Leaf blowers, rakes, snippers, shredders, and compost heat destroy the habitat our beneficials need this season.
Not all our garden friends headed further south with the monarchs and hummingbirds. They have deployed many clever techniques to survive until spring and summer. Some insects are sheltering in stems, others have headed underground, and some have taken the ‘get small’ approach by wintering as eggs. Cleaver swallowtail butterflies produced their own antifreeze, turning sugars to glycol as an added layer of protection for chrysalis wintering in their cocoons. Despite appearances, life has not deserted our landscapes.
And in our pollinator gardens most especially, we want those insects to survive, to continue to play their garden roles. A fascinating study of the effects of removing autumn leaves can be found here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969725004565. To support our diminishing populations of butterflies, bees, beneficial of all kinds, please consider how you can support them as they winter in our yards and gardens. While I don’t want to offer my house as a winter vacation getaway for arthropods and arachnids, I do want them year-round in my landscape outside.
Mary Freede, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2005
DALLAS GARDEN BUZZ 