At this time of year it is normal for gardens in London to be swamped and engulfed by fallen leaves. Yes, the vast majority of leaves that are dropping from our own and our neighbours’ trees are pretty enough, and for a while their bright reds, yellows and oranges look stunning both on and off the tree. However, the initial flurry of pretty colour soon starts to diminish.
Fallen Leaves Can Smother Lawn Turf
Leaves that are allowed to build up in your garden can cause many problems. On the lawn they smother the turf, often causing patches of die back, mainly due to the lack of light and oxygen. Also if the crowns of the less tough herbaceous perennials or alpines are covered in a soggy blanket of leaves, they too will also start to deteriorate. So like it or not you need to look after what is in your garden and the sooner you start clearing away the leaves the better.
The Best Tools for Clearing Dead Leaves
A spring-tined rake is ideal for raking leaves of the lawn. Depending on the size of your garden and lawn area you may opt for a leaf blower or vacuum, or hand picking on beds and borders.
Collect Your Dead Leaves to Make Leaf Mold Compost
Great, so you spend a lot of time and effort collecting all these leaves, do not just bin them or burn them but make leaf mold. It makes fantastic soil mulch. Leaves are best rotted down on their own as they take longer to decompose than the rest of the stuff in your compost heap. If space permits, which can be limited in areas such as Wandsworth and Wimbledon, then you can always have a separate compost bin for your leaves. Otherwise make sure they go in your green recycle waste. It all helps the environment.
Get Help with Tidying Gardens in South West London
An advantage of calling our London based tree surgeons at this time of year, is that in order to leave your garden tidy after any work, we will always collect and clear the leaves for you! If you are interested in having your trees and hedges attended to winter, then please do not hesitate to contact Toby for a free quotation
