Garden

[GingerPeach]

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@Sweetbay magnolia wrote:

Hi @GingerPeach.  That is a beautiful article.  I'm so happy whenever I see this perspective given.  Some birds, like thrashers, exist on the detritus of the forest floor, and in their way, contribute to the decomposition of leaves and such.

 I am habitat driven in my gardening practices.  I live here, too, but so much of my joy comes from the wild creatures around me.

Excuse me if I sound preachy.  Just looking for like minds and hoping to shed light on common misconceptions that impact Mother Earth.  Have a good night.

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@Sweetbay magnolia

I'm very much a natural and even organic gardener.  I like knowing that the birds and other creatures can feel comfortable in my yard.  I only have a small yard now, but the birds seem to enjoy it.  Other animals, too.  Even a frog, once.  If you saw how small my yard is, you'd know that was unusual.  I often wonder if a bird accidentally dropped him.  I tried to leave a couple of broken pots for cover and a water source but he eventually left.   

Oh, and not preachy at all.  Music to my ears.

[GingerPeach]

p.s. to @Lilysmom

I realized I might have derailed your thread.  That wasn't my intent.  With apologies.

[Lilysmom]

Hi everyone.  Great feedback as always!  

I would never give up my oak trees  just to get rid of the leaves that's for sure!  They are so beautiful all year long.  The shape of the trees is gorgeous and they are quite old.  There are probably ten on the property.  Most of them are in a wooded area and are pretty much undisturbed on the walk to the lake.  I never clean up after those.  Mother Nature takes care of them for me and ferns cover the ground around them.  All manner of wildlife live there including a family of porcupines that I hope my Lab never gets to meet.  She knows they are there but, thankfully, she is good on recall.

I have two in my main garden area that I clean up after.  Yes, they are waxy leaves.  We get a fair amount of wind here.  If I don't pick these up, they go all over the yard.  Small price to pay but I complain about them every year🙄  They never seem to break down.

I should post some photos so you can see what I mean.  The oaks are the only trees of any stature that still have leaves on them.  I am in good shape for spring in the gardens except for these giants!!!  It is unseasonably warm here so Fall cleanup has been very nice.

Thanks for the feedback always!  LM

[JustJazzmom]

Trees are natural sound barriers to the noises of our world. I wouldn't remove them either.

[Lilysmom]

@JustJazzmom, you are so right about the sound barrier.  At our last house and in our retirement home, the first thing we did before sodding or anything else was plant evergreens along each side of the house.  We have nothing on the back end but the lake.  It is so quiet here and that is one of the main reasons why.

Although I complain about the work, I would never take any of these trees down.  It's one of the main reasons we chose this property.  LM

[Lilysmom]

@GingerPeach, I just had a chance to look at your link to Houzz on letting gardens stand and leaving clean up til Spring.   Thanks for sharing that.  I am aware of the benefits for insects and wildlife and I do a combination of both.

For the gardens close to the house, I do a cutdown and rake the leaves in the Fall.  I take about a month off and let the leaves fall and, after my rest, I tackle the leaves (with the help of DH).  For those gardens you saw today on the road to the lake and down at the lake, I leave for the Spring.  On the forest floor on the way to the lake, we have all kinds of wildlife.  Out Lab is not allowed unaccompanied down at the lake so I don't worry about the porcupines and other wildlife who live there for the most part.  

Because the yard cleanup is such a big job in the Fall, it suits me (and the wildlife) to split the task.  Mother Nature helps with her broom over the winter and moves some of the leaves for me.  It's just too big a job to do it all at once.  It may also be the reason why some shrubs I have moved to the lakeside garden do better down there.  They have good insulation to get them through the winter.

Another couple of weeks and it will all be over for this year.  I could never keep up the gardens for 12 months a year.  Six months of maintenance is enough for me.  I look forward to a slower pace over the winter.

Thanks again for sharing.  You guys truly get the oak trees!  LM

[JustJazzmom]

When my gallbladder was removed as I was recuperating I couldn't bend well so the fall clean up of my perennials had to wait till the springtime.

They all survived.

Good garden sanitation is important especially if certain leaves have diseases on them (fungal diseases)  so the spores do not overwinter and reinfect the plants again and its important to remove leaves in general because insects (some harmful/some beneficial) hibernate over the winter in them. Certain vermin also like leaves to hibernate in too.

Several other prepare for winter things should be done such as:

clearing gutters and downspouts of leaves and debris--if left to remain it could clog the gutters/downspouts and snow not able to be removed can melt against the house and cause ice dams (water damage to your ceilings or attic areas).

Hoses should be drained and brought indoors or if you have a special faucet geared for winter use, it should be in the OFF position. Normal faucets for hoses should have an interior shut off valve and the outer faucet be left in the OPEN position.

All openings around doors, windows should be caulked to prevent critters of all sorts from coming indoors for the winter.

This includes around gas lines exiting or entering your home, exhaust lines from gas heating systems and central air conditioning electric lines that are protected by aluminum downspouts.

I had mice one year climb up the electric line of my central A/C system and start to bed down in the attic fiberglass. A few mousetraps later, and the first warm day in March with some spray foam insulation, I sealed off the aluminum downspout to prevent mice from further gaining access.

Wood for fireplace should never be stored next to your foundation for the same reasons-- animals deciding its a good place to hibernate.

If anyone can think of anymore prepare for the winter jobs please add to the list.

One more thing-- those plants sensitive to winter's drying winds should get a dose of anti dessicant to their leaves (top and bottom) about now in temps over 40 degrees and allowed to dry before inclement weather.

Mountain laurels, azaleas, rhododendrons, andromedas, camellias, hollies and other large leafed shrubs need this protection. If its not done, in March/April of next year you will see the freeze burns on the leaves showing up as browned or blackened leaves and stems.

[Lilysmom]

@JustJazzmom, what a great list!  We are having someone come to check the gutters after all the leaves are down. If we don't we always have an issue.  Wood against the house ... Learned that one the hard way!

The yard is looking pretty good.  A couple of more weeks and that should be it for this year.  I am always happy in the spring that I made the effort in the fall.  I'll be back to review your checklist again to make sure we got everything.  LM