It has been a glorious October, with spectacular colours as the leaves turn and drop from trees and hedges. On paths and in parks there are lots of opportunities to relive childhood, scuffing the fallen leaves and searching for conkers.
At home fallen leaves on paths and grass can cause problems. On paths after rain or even a heavy dew, leaves can clump together and become slippery, hazardous when you are rushing in or out of the house. It’s worth remembering this on country lanes too where piles of leaves on the road can create a skid hazard.
When you clear the leaves from paths, don’t forget to rake them up on any grass you have too. Leaves left on grass can kill the grass leaving ugly bare patches on your lawn. Raking the lawn helps aerate it too, helping drainage over the winter and future growth in the spring. Leaves can be left on flower beds, as long as they are not smothering plants, the worms and mini beasts will breakdown the leaves providing nutrients and structure to the soil.
When you have collected your leaves, they can go in garden recycling bins or if you have space you may want to make leaf mold. Leaf mold is great for spreading on the garden as mulch or to use instead of seed compost. All you need are some bin liners, put the leaves in, tie up the tops to stop them escaping and punch some air holes in the bags. Leave for a year or so and the leaves will transform into beautiful fine compost. Don’t put any diseased leaves into the bags; the infection will spread as the leaves breakdown. For this reason I never put any rose leaves in leaf mold. Roses are notorious for fungal infections such as black spot and mildew that can easily infect other plants, leaving unsightly patches as well as weakening the plant.
If you find you are out of time to clear your garden of leaves for the winter, give Chopwell a call. Our friendly team can offer competitive quotes to give your garden a late autumn makeover, giving you a space you are proud of at all times of the year.
