To chop or not

I really think what you have decided to do, does actually do more good than harm, but I just can't live with the messyness of the garden through the winter, also I tend to move things around and make new little areas in the garden this time of year, so I may as well tidy too as I go along. I also depend on the results of all my chopping to go towards my bonfire for Bonfire Night!

Mine is never tidy, but I do have to carry out a lot of autumn pruning and sweep leaves otherwise i would break my neck when it is wet and frosty.As for protecting insects i know what you mean but you will probably protect a few that come spring you will wish you had not.

I like the garden to be tidy in winter and have also divided a lot of plants in the last few weeks so most of the job has been done with that one. There are one or two things like my Hydrangeas that I always leave till spring so they are protected :-)

i tend to leave some plants like hardy fushias but do cut back things like campanulas,valerian plus i remove any bedding plants & generally have a bit if a tidy up....i do my main clear up in the spring!

i sort of harf and harf really leave some cut some. am trying to collect more seeds now . get the leaves up and get rid of old bedding .and plant up a bit of winter colour in kitchen garden . genrally i like it tidy . but allso do a spring clean like pathes etc.

A difficult one, a blog on Gardeners World.....said not to tidy up, it was bad for wildlife....OH likes to tidy up, I am more relaxed, having said that some plants ie hardy geraniums will get the chop and phlox, we have moved a lot of plants around again!! so they have been cut down, to help with the move. So I would say keep some, cut some, will not be cutting any penstemons down, definitely not!!

I also tend to leave the plants as they are during winter. I tend to forget whats where and also the height of the plants so by leaving them in it is easier for me to plan or re arrange plants in the spring. I also don't like going out in the cold and damp. I tidy the pots and containers so the patio looks clean and tidy.

I used to religiously clear away all dead matter and debris in autumn, as instructed in my training and in every gardening book then (30 years ago). The debris was said to shelter harmful organisms over winter, so best cleared away. Trouble is, it also shelters beneficial organisms, so it rather depends what problems there've been in a season in a garden as to what I actually do. I tend to leave most of it if possible, but where there's been fungal diseases, or things like capsid infestation, it all has to be cleared.

I try to leave plenty of places for insects but cant stand too much untidiness! We are gradually moving over to shrubs and perennials so there arent too many annuals to tidy up, apart from triffid-like cosmos!

I usually leave some artistic-looking seed heads etc. But this year I'm leaving most of it alone. I'm only trying to cut back the plants that have flopped out over the path.
It's been neglected and gone into such an overgrown state it's impossible to keep up with it.

why you not cutting penstermons !!!!!!!!!!!! shud i leave mine..........

Penstemons are definately best left till the spring Cristina....I find mine tend to stay nice and green...which is welcome over the winter months.
I'm with you Grindle, except for the obvious, as Bamboo suggests....

Cristina it helps to keep them through the winter, when we lived in the West Mids we used to do them in April.

I do pull out the annuals, and take away things like hosta leaves which tend to get nasty in the wet weather. Definately leave the penstemons until the late spring. It's been nice to read all your comments :-)

arhh ok see ............allways learning something thanks

;-) where would we get all this information, if it wasn't for forums like this

I clear all my pot's and tub's but leave the hardy geraniums.I try to keep a clear path to the bird feeders though.