Last
winter I followed the advice of leaving leaves coating our front yard instead
of raking them. The wisdom holds that leaves add nutrients back into the soil.
Leaves protect plants with a layer of warmth should ice or snow cover the
ground. Leaves provide homes for insects and snails.
No
one warned me that too many leaves on our very small front yard could kill the
grasses and ground cover buried below. My Horseherb’s tiny flowers never returned
once I raked the leaves. Large patches of clover mixed within the grass
remained bare all spring. My front yard unexpectedly contained bald spots that
sent me on a search for answers. Eventually, I learned that too many leaves can
smother a yard. Many people mow and mulch, but we don’t have a power lawn mower
anymore!
This
week, I will return to my annual routine of raking and bagging leaves. Fallen
leaves will adorn my small gardens to protect those plants, but the remainder of
the ground will be leaf free to let sunshine and rain nurture the natural
grasses and ground covers that survived my experiment. With luck, returning to
my roots will result in a pretty front lawn this spring.
 |
| Enough to protect the garden! |
Copyright 2024 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman
No comments:
Post a Comment