At Reeves-Reed, as part of our Arboretum-wide initiative to become more sustainable, we’ve decided to let the garden go to the leaves!
Many people are under the impression that autumn leaves, even after stunning us with their annual fall brilliance – must be removed at all costs! Many people blow them, suck them up with vacuums, and remove every trace of leafy organic material from their properties. This is truly a big mistake because leaves when collected and stored in a protected spot over the winter, make a wonderful, free alternative to unsustainably harvested hardwood mulch.
Reeves-Reed Arboretum stopped using mulch three years ago. Instead of spreading shredded wood chips, we now shred our stored autumn leaves three times, then directly cover the earth with 2-3 inches of triple-shredded leaves. These leaves will insulate the soil and plantings growing in the bed from strong summer sunlight and heat. Plants also receive essential nutrients from the decomposing organic leaf matter and much less water is needed to sustain the garden after it’s been covered with mulch.
Within a year that fluffy shredded leaf carpet turns into thick rich, moisture-retaining humus and continues enriching the soil, attracting beneficial fungi and other microorganisms enhancing the soil layer underneath the plantings. Because this rich organic groundcover is so attractive to soil-dwelling microorganisms, it will quickly break down into thick black, rich humus and silently work to fertilize everything growing underneath it.
Gardening friends, saving your leaves through the winter and then shredding them and using them as mulch is a natural, free, and organic way to enhance and fortify your plantings; it’s a garden win!
