fall leaves in the garden - more than just pretty colours!

I sure am enjoying the colourful view of my neighbour's crabapple, mountain ash tree and dogwood shrubs at the moment!  I planted my own little Saskatoon shrubs this year which will add to the fall colour in a few years when they get to a more substantial size.

But while I am enjoying the beautiful colours, I am already scheming about what to do with those leaves after they've fallen.  Each year at this time I wish I owned a shredder so I could chop them all up into little bits which would make even better mulch for the garden.  But each year at this time I have already more than blown my gardening budget for the year.  So I do not yet own a mulcher.

The leaves I do have, I rake onto the garden for the winter.  I also check the local leaf drop off regularly and sometimes manage to snag some pre-chopped leaves to put on the garden!  If not, I choose bags of small, curly leaves such as birch, which make better winter mulch than big flat leaves like poplar. 

In any case, I certainly do not get rid of my own leaves! They are extremely useful for winter mulch and for adding nutrients to the garden.  You may think you are being a good environmental citizen by taking your leaves to the drop off, but leaving them in the garden has a zero footprint and provides nutrients for your soil.  So don't bag 'em unless you want to make leaf mold!

You can read about leaf mold and how I first got hooked on stealing leaves here:

What did you do with your extra hour? ... and how to make leaf mold in a bag.

And read more about the benefit of leaves on the garden here:

After the Party's Over on Garden Buzz

Comments

[Chuck Stevens]

I really love this time of year. Fall lends so many great colors to the scenery. I love the different colors literally everywhere. It was always fun as a kid to jump into big piles of the leaves before the leaf collection! Some of my best childhood memories are from the fall!

[artificial lawns]

Many modern gardens have been planted with straight lines of flowers or follow some geometric design. You can extend the architecture of your home into the yard by planting tight rows of bordering plants.

[tree care]

Thanks for the article. I love this time of year with the falling of the leaves and the beautiful weather that it brings. And when it comes to taking care of peoples yard for winter, they forget one of the biggest things which is taking care of your tree. Because trees need to be taken care of in order to be healthy trees.

[garden shop]

Your fall garden looks so gorgeous!Beautiful fall color!Beautiful grasses and plants! Its amazing that how the same looks different from season to season... Enjoy the colors while they are with you as they will soon go to sleep for the winter.