Winter is finally upon us. At Stone Lane Gardens, the trees are bare, the leaves long fallen and decomposing.

The fruiting bodies of the fungi have been popping up since September, though recent toadstools have rapidly collapsed in the rain. Various fungi will appear through the winter, and it's amazing what you will find if you stop and look hard enough.

Our fruiting shrubs and trees, such as the Sorbus (mountain ash) and Vacciniums (blueberries), are providing food now for the birds and small mammals. Our various Rubus (bramble family) are also giving up their fruits for the creatures in the garden.

At Stone Lane Gardens we purposely grow and encourage plants that will provide food and cover, maintaining an environment that is beneficial to a wide variety of wildlife; a balanced and varied ecosystem.

After all, gardens shouldn't just be about the plants, they are living environments that are home to many things – some valued, some less so!

It's been a good year for fruit, so hopefully the birds, mammals and insects will have plenty of food to see them through the tougher days of winter. For endangered animals like hedgehogs, a good nosh-up with plenty of autumn food enables a successful hibernation.

We need those creatures, they hoover up so many slugs. But it is alarming to see them classed as 'endangered' now. Once such a common sight of a night-time, snuffling around in the hedgerow or waddling across the lawn.

At the garden, our maintenance tasks at this time of year tend to be clearing, tidying, repairing worn infrastructure, and a lot of the heavier arborist work such as formative pruning, felling and dealing with storm damage. With all these tasks, there is a tendency to over-tidy. If we are dealing with a heavily visited area of the garden, then of course we need to keep it looking smart. But overzealous tidying creates an ecological desert!

Leaves are maybe swept to the side of a path or grass area, but not removed. Twigs and branches are piled in small heaps around the edges of the garden. Logs, if not needed for firewood or other uses, are stacked neatly. These are all food and habitats, and if we remove them all we have lessened the beneficial value of the garden.

Sadly a young oak on our estate blew over last year. My assistant thought the trunk would make good timber for a new bridge. He cut it down the middle, giving us two strong lengths of timber to support the walkway. If you visit us next year, you will see a fine new bridge made entirely of materials from the estate.

So as we care for the garden this winter, we will be mindful of this need for balance and preservation. We are protectors not just of the plants, but of the many wonderful and fascinating creatures that share the space.

Stone Lane Gardens is open 5 days a week, all year. See stonelanegardens.com for details.

Paul Bartlett works at Stone Lane Gardens near Chagford