Fall is in the air, though it is not always easy to see the signs in the Texas Hill Country. In my yard acorns are falling, the leaves on my soap berry tree are fully yellow and the cedar elms are beginning to turn. For some the fall season brings the chore of leaf raking and bagging. Following the recommendations of the leave the leaves movement will save you from that chore.
Leave the leaves is a movement that encourages homeowners to leave fallen leaves on their property for the benefit of the environment and wildlife. So, what are these benefits? Leaves left where they fall will decompose into soil enriching organic matter, help the soil retain moisture, protect plant roots from extreme weather, and suppress weed growth. Also, beneficial insects and other small creatures will find shelter and insulation in the leaves left on your yard. Additionally, by leaving the leaves you will benefit our fragile environment by not filling plastic bags that go to a landfill. What do you do if you have an abundance of leaves on the ground? Rake the leaves into garden beds as a protective mulch layer. Create an out-of-the way leaf pile to provide habitat or use a mulching mower to chop the leaves into smaller pieces that will decompose quickly.
Last spring I enjoyed the Wimberley Garden Club tour. At one of the homes the very first story we heard from the docent was about leaves. When the homeowners moved into their house, they discovered a very thin layer of soil barely covering the rocky base we hill country gardeners know well. But on this day we viewed a beautiful and vibrant garden. The homeowners had, over the years, collected and spread on their yard the leaves that neighbors raked and bagged. The result was a lovely and luscious display of native plants happily growing in soil created by decomposed leaves. This year save a chore and leave the leaves!
Becky Denton, Hays County Master Naturalists
