Lots
of leaves to collect in the park. Dogs enjoy them too.
The vibrant autumn leaf colours are at stunning at the
moment. Every opportunity I have to get
into the park is grabbed so I can experience the joys of autumn. The dogs like
it too; the damp wet ground seems to accentuate the smells for them. I ought to
train them up to search for truffles.
Leaves
Leaves contain chlorophyll, a pigment that gives them their
colour. Autumn coloration in leaves happens when, as a result of the
decomposition of chlorophyll, additional vibrant pigments or colours are revealed;
it’s hard to believe that the bright colours are harnessed away in the leaves
all year. Some of the best examples of autumn leaf colour in trees come from
the Maple, Beech, Ash, Mountain Ash, Hazel, Oak, Birch, and Chestnut. There are
a lot of smaller shrubs that can give us a glorious show such as the fiery
tones of Euonymus europaeus 'Red Cascade'
or the Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, a low-growing, ground-cover
shrub.The Cotinus family (smokebush) is a classic for autumn tints too,
deserving pride of place in the border.
Fallen leaves make a
lovely crunchy colourful carpet in the garden, but they can have a very
detrimental effect on your lawn. A covering of fallen leaves will block
sunlight reaching your grass, which over a week or two will cause the grass to
weaken and become patchy, a bit like when the children have a tent set up on
the grass for a few weeks in summer. To prevent this, large quantities of
leaves should be removed within a day or two. This is a perfect opportunity for
us to make leaf mold
About leaf mould
Most leaves can be turned into leaf mould, but some take
longer to compost than others. Oak, alder and hornbeam will soon rot down,
while sycamore, beech, horse chestnut and sweet chestnut take a little longer.. Try to avoid evergreen leaves such as
holly, laurel or Leyland cypress and other conifers as they just seem to
sit there and not rot down. If you do use them it might help to shred them with
the mower first.
Good leafmould is a pleasant, darkbrown, crumbly material and
is a good soil improver, lawn conditioner and mulch. It can be used in seed and
potting mixes as well.
Good things about
leafmould:
- • It’s easy to make
- • It cuts out bonfires
- • It saves using peat
- • It’s free
Good things about
using leafmould
- • It’s clean and easy to handle
- • It’s good for the soil
- • It cuts down on watering
- • It can be used on any soil
- • It can be used at any time of year
I have collected leaves from a lot of different places in
the past, especially when I didn’t have any trees in the garden. Quiet laneways and parks are good, but try
and get permission first. One year I was chased off a park when a neighbour
came out and told me off for stealing their patch. I left them 10 dustbin liner
bags as way of an apology but still came away with enough to mulch the garden.
Collecting them up
Leaves can be gathered up by hand, using a lawn rake. For
larger quantities, leaf vacs are available, some of which will also shred the
leaves, speeding up decay. Place the leaves into plastic bin bags of have a
wire mesh bin to stack them in.
Compost or leafmould?
Small amounts of autumn leaves can be added to the compost bin.
They make a good balancing ingredient for wet and soggy materials like grass
mowings and kitchen waste. Simply save dryish autumn leaves in a bag
For use next season.
Autumn leaves are rotted down mainly by the slow, cool
action of fungi - rather than the quicker acting bacteria that are responsible
for composting. This is why autumn leaves in quantity are best recycled
separately in a separate bag or bin.
Uses of leafmould
Newly fallen leaves can be used for winter cover for bare
soil but may have to be removed in spring for sowing and planting and as mulch
for informal paths.
Young’
leafmould
1 or 2 years old,
depending on tree species.
- Leaves beginning to break up; easily crumbled in the hand.
- Mulch around shrubs, herbaceous, trees, vegetables
- Dig in as soil improver for sowing and planting
- Autumn top dressing for lawns
- Winter cover for bare soil
Well rotted leafmould
2 years old in most
cases.
- Dark brown crumbly material, with no real trace of original leaves visible.
- Seed sowing mix - Use leafmould on its own, or mixed with equal parts sharp sand and garden compost
- Potting compost - Mix equal parts well rotted leafmould, sharp sand, loam and garden compost
Leaves and wildlife
If I have a lot of leaves then I tend to just ‘sweep them ‘under
hedges as this is a perfect place for wildlife to thrive and it feeds the hedge
too.
