I cut all my faded perennials down to the ground in August just to tidy the borders: the following spring, I understood what had left with the stems
That August cleanup that leaves your borders looking tidy? It’s actually demolishing homes for solitary bees, erasing overwintering sites for butterflies and moths, and eliminating winter food for songbirds. What feels like basic garden hygiene comes with ecological consequences that don’t surface until spring silence arrives.