11 Oct Note to our Maintenance/Fall Clean Up Clients

If you’ve been with us for the last year or more, you’ve probably noticed a trend in our message about fall clean up that is echoed in this month’s blog article: less is more. In our newsletters and your invoice emails, I’ve explained why it’s better to leave some perennials standing over the winter and let you know we’d be doing so.

We’ve been in transition in the midst of a paradigm shift that Columbine is just a small part of. People everywhere are learning about how we can better treat the ecosystems where we live by respecting the integrity of those systems, how to disrupt them less, and how we as humans benefit when we make this our practice.

To this end, as humble stewards of the land, we here at Columbine have been working on how we can complete this shift to the maximum benefit of you, the earth, and our own business. Our plan is that we will complete the 2024 season the same way we have the last few: we will leave standing the perennial plants that offer winter interest, cut back many of the others, and we will rake up fallen tree leaves.

Starting in 2025 we will roll out a slightly different approach in order to be aligned with our ecological values where there will be less focus on cleaning up in the fall. Instead we will transition to a winterization model. Fall is a great time to implement small projects in your landscape, including the installation of rain basins. Fall is perfect for this when walking through your perennials beds isn’t as delicate a task. If you would like to talk with us this year about adding rain basins with your fall landscape budget, please reach out to us. 

Also know that if, by next year, you still aren’t quite ready for the new paradigm of a wilder, woollier look for your winter garden, that’s ok. We’re still grateful for your business and look forward to working with you and making your landscape the way you want it.