This past week a number of Sunday cartoons depicted the plight of leaf rakers, and the reluctance to rake. Many of us remember the smoke of leaf fires along road edges in fall, even within residential areas of cities. It would be helpful, as part of the celebration of autumn trees, to consider the many garden uses for the leaves. Duff is a natural mulch created from the slow decomposition of these materials, providing nutrients for trees and other forest plants. If we, while gardening, begin to see the usefulness of fallen leaves, the chore of raking may diminish.
Leaves make good mulch for shrub beds and perennial borders.
After weeding the beds for winter and planting bulbs, simply dump or rake leaves to a depth of 2-3 inches. These don't have to be pre-composted, but placed on just as they fell. These smaller leaves will gradually break down and add nutrients to the soil. Some garden debris doesn't make good mulch. Don't use any weeds or leaves from fruit trees with disease problems such as apple scab, or from dogwood afflicted with anthracnose.