To properly maintain a fall wildlife garden, seasonal shifts are an area of special and important consideration. Creating a space that sustains a diverse ecosystem while still looking well cared for is the goal. Unlike a traditionally manicured and maintained garden, the fall wildlife garden embraces nature’s cycles. 

A key element to creating this type of garden is supporting biodiversity. Create habitats and maintain a healthy environment. When it comes to seasonal transitions, the goal is to synchronize your care with the natural rhythms of plants and animals.

Spring in the wildlife garden is a time of planting and tidying up. Summer requires plenty of deadheading and watering. It’s easy to maintain a bustling environment that houses and nourishes wildlife during these times. 

When it comes to fall, it can be challenging to maintain a garden that is more than just alive. This is a vital time for most insects and animals, where preparing for the winter becomes of greatest importance. You want a fall wildlife garden that pulses with active ecological health. Here’s how to do it.

Leave Seed Heads and Berries

Berries feed birds in the cooler months.

In the fall, most insects and animals are preparing for the winter. Some migrate, some hibernate, and others store up resources for the impending dearth. This means that finding ample resources is vital. They will spend a significant amount of time collecting and preparing. 

Leaving seed heads and berries in the garden is one of the most effective ways to support wildlife. During the leaner months, nature provides these food sources in large amounts. 

From seeds, birds and animals get protein, fiber, fats, and essential minerals. They help animals store up fat and energy for the winter. Berries provide antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They act as immune and energy boosters during a time of vulnerability. 

Outside of their benefit to wildlife, seed heads and berries are aesthetically beautiful and interesting. They provide texture and color when most plants are entering dormancy, and the colors are fading. Leaving these intact transforms the fall wildlife garden into a space that is both beautiful and beneficial.

Protect Habitats

Have a designated space for overwintering creatures.

Protecting habitats in the wildlife garden during fall is another important consideration. This task is all about making sure animals and insects have safe places to feed, rest, and take shelter as the seasons change. 

As we discussed, many creatures are preparing for winter or migration in the fall. Your garden can provide critical stopping points and overwintering shelter. It’s not difficult to create these spaces. It just takes a bit of restraint and possibly some relocation. 

Instead of clearing everything away, fall is the time to add structure and leave cover. Animals and insects need a place to spend those cold months so they will be safe and survive. We can provide those spaces to help them replenish for migration, or hibernate in place. 

One of the simplest ways to protect habitats is to utilize leaf litter. Many pollinators and other beneficial insects overwinter in the pupal or egg stage. They do this in or under leaf piles where they remain safe and insulated. You can mimic natural woodland cover in the garden by creating a brush pile or log stack. Amphibians use brush as shelter, and other small animals and birds do as well.

Native bees and other beneficial insects also overwinter in standing stems and pods left behind by seed heads. Keeping these standing preserves nesting spots and keeps these creatures protected. 

Birds that overwinter need nesting areas that are safe and protected, too. Deciduous trees lose their leaves, leaving birds exposed. By planting evergreen shrubs and ornamental grasses in your fall wildlife garden, you can create safe habitats where they can live during the cold months. 

Resist over-tidying and focus on creating layered habitats. Using ground cover, shrubs, and overhead canopy, you can create a diverse, protective landscape.

Keep Water Sources Filled

Keep drinking water clean and fresh in the fall.

Providing water during the fall is as important as food and shelter. As the season changes, rainfall becomes less predictable. All animals require water to survive, so providing it will draw them to your garden. 

Birds, insects, and mammals all need water for drinking, and some need it for keeping themselves clean. Water is even more important to amphibians. Whether they are preparing for migration, hibernation, or overwintering, they need water. 

If you have a natural water source, like a pond or stream, you’re fortunate. This is the lowest maintenance situation. However, many home gardeners don’t have these elements. For the rest of us, we need to be resourceful and provide them. 

You can use birdbaths, dishes, bowls, and other receptacles to provide water in your wildlife garden. Heated birdbaths are great for colder areas. Place these at different heights, with some close to the ground for small mammals and amphibians. Birds will feel safer and more comfortable elevated with a clear vantage point. 

Avoid Chemicals

Chemicals don’t just impact bad pests; they also impact good ones.

Avoiding chemicals in the wildlife garden isn’t just important in the fall. This is a habit you should maintain all year. Chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers harm the ecosystem you’re trying to build. 

Toxins on plants and in water end up harming insects. It moves up the food chain from there and eventually contaminates the entire ecosystem. Herbicides also eliminate many important, native plants. Some gardeners may consider these to be weeds, but in the fall wildlife garden, they are vital food sources. 

By avoiding chemicals, you allow the natural cycles of the habitat to strengthen the garden’s resilience. There are better ways to feed your soil than with synthetic fertilizers, which we will get to. Avoiding chemicals should be a long-term choice in this type of garden. 

A good way to determine whether there are harmful chemicals in your garden is by the presence of amphibians. Amphibians have sensitive and porous skin that is vulnerable to chemicals. Their presence in the garden indicates low or no presence of chemicals. 

Plant Fall and Winter Food Sources 

Dedicate a section of your garden to wildlife-friendly plants.

To keep animals and pollinators coming back to your wildlife garden, seasonal food sources are integral. This is the most crucial factor in creating a successful fall wildlife garden. 

It’s easy for insects and animals to find food during the spring and summer. An abundance of flowers and fruits is present in most gardens during these times. In fall and winter, that changes, but if you focus on planting specific things, you can bridge the gap.

Birds and animals that migrate or hibernate depend on high-energy food sources. These are the types of foods that overwintering animals also build stores of. Selecting the right plants can create a buffet of nutritious foods that will draw and keep animals coming back.

Here are some plants that provide a good food source during the colder months:

Shrubs and Trees

Pick shrubs with food sources and places to hide out.

• Hollies
• Dogwoods
• Persimmon
• Viburnum
• American Beautyberry
• Apple
• Pear
• Fig

Grasses and Perennials

Seed heads provide food for birds.

• Goldenrod
• Aster
• Switchgrass
• Native Sunflowers
• Coneflowers
• Rudbeckia
• Coreopsis

Vines and Groundcovers

Lush leaf growth provides cover in the fall garden.

• Coral Honeysuckle
• Wild Strawberry
• Virginia Creeper
• Grape

Support the Soil 

Soil health benefits wildlife and the plants in your garden.

It’s of utmost importance in the fall wildlife garden to invest in your soil. I don’t necessarily mean a monetary investment, though this is one way to do it. You can also make an investment in time to achieve a similar result. 

Supporting your soil can look different in this type of garden. It’s common to view fall as a time to strip everything away in the garden. To clean up and leave it looking tidy and ready for spring planting. In a wildlife garden, this is not the best way. 

Fall is the time to add back organic matter and nutrients, protect the life in your soil, and prepare it for new growth. By feeding your soil, you feed the microbes and fungi that improve soil structure. You also return nutrients that create a foundation for healthy plants. 

There are several ways to do this, and you may decide to choose only one or a combination of several. Leaving the leaf cover is a natural and excellent way to improve your soil. The leaves break down as they would in nature, and add those organic nutrients back that the trees and other plants used up. 

Compost is another excellent resource that you can create in your own yard. By composting your kitchen scraps, lawn trimmings, and healthy plant clippings, you can create your own nutrient-rich compost. Working this into the soil, or simply top dressing with it, will enrich your soil. 

Cover crops are another excellent way to add nutrients back into the soil and improve the soil structure at the same time. Native clovers and other plants that are nitrogen-fixing are the best for this task. They cover and protect your soil from erosion, and provide food and shelter for ground-dwellers. 

Protect Roots 

Mulching keeps roots protected from temperature drops.

Finally, protecting your plant’s roots is especially important in the fall wildlife garden. Exposed roots make plants more vulnerable to cold, so keeping them covered, naturally, protects them. If you want your wildlife garden to bounce back quickly in the spring, protecting your roots is an important step. 

Roots are the life support system of all plants. This is what keeps them alive year-round, but especially in fall and winter when foliage is scarce. Keeping them insulated helps to protect them from temperature shifts and moisture loss. 

Natural mulching is the most economical way to protect your plant’s roots. Utilizing your fallen leaves, shredded bark, or straw to blanket the ground protects the most important part of your dormant plants.