Autumn Leaves

Are you loving the beautiful colours of the deciduous leaves at the moment? We’ve noticed Maples, Liquidambar, Pears and Gingko trees looking stunning.

Autumn leaves are not only stunning but can also make a useful mulch, with care. Make sure you chop up or shred fallen leaves with a lawnmower, whole leaves can form an impenetrable layer and take longer to decompose. The mulch retains moisture in the soil, acts as an insulator and limits weed germination. The leaves also add nutrients to the soil, although autumn leaf mulch lacks nitrogen so best not to use on vegetables and annuals.

Alternatively, put the fallen leaves into a bag then soak with water, tie up and leave in a shady area until ready to use on the garden, 6 months to 2 years. For larger gardens pile up with some added nitrogen (e.g lawn clippings) to decompose until ready.