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I think smart people know you should combine several strategies to have a healthy yard. If you want a bit of lawn, RAKE them into the shrubbery beds or put them in a giant compost bin. Or, it's fine to mulch them with your mower. I did that when I had sycamore leaves that were too large to do anything else with. Poof, they disappeared into the lawn.
Some people don't want big lawns.
But if you're totally anal about things and say "the hell with the socialists," just keep doing as you please. Some little communist lefty like me might be happy you did all that work, and will come by and pick them up for their own purposes.
the way my property lays out, and the types of trees I have, leaves literally will still be falling in January. To add to that, I'll be raking leaves in MARCH.
Why did I buy a home again?
Same here.
And every autumn, my husband threatens to sell the house.
There are a number of plants that die covered with leaves. I have areas that build a cover of over three feet if I leave them impacting access, safety, and other plants. Have also noticed that field mice appreciate leaf cover.
The advice may be fine for some places but not for me.
Some leaves decompose faster than others. I can mulch hickory and maple leaves and hardly a trace is left behind on top of the grass, but oak leaves are more of a challenge.
Over 40 years of homeownership and 3 different houses/lawns, I have never had a problem with the lawn doing poorly because of unraked leaves. Some years I had time for it; most years I did not. The grass always came up green the following spring. Maybe it's the New England weather, I dunno. By spring, the leaves had all blown away. The annoying thing about raking is, the leaves just blow back.
Some homeowners, particularly in upscale suburbs, try to control nature. They not only keep strict control of the inside of the house, but try to control what happens on the outside as well, as if it were an extension of the inside. It isn't. I have been criticised for not raking leaves. Just like with my comments to the lady with the new purple HE laundry machines, I think most of this stuff comes from people who are into appearances and trying to be upscale - on the outside as well as the inside.
These scientists being published and endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation. From their view, the wildlife probably would benefit from a less intrusive management practice regarding the annual tree byproducts. Unfortunately, in many communities it would be a conflict with the community or the HOA to avoid taking care of those pesky blowing leaves. Most, if not all the developed subdivisions I have been around require the lawns and yards to be maintained, meaning the leaving of leaves will not be tolerated.
Additionally, common sense says that if you live in a modern subdivision with two small trees per 1/3 acre lot, this could be workable. Owning a parcel with a dozen mature maples makes this a little less practical since we would be up to our armpits in decomposing Acer saccharinum waste in no time.
Ha! Just move to somewhere that the leaves don't fall off and you have more time to go to the beach. Of course you have to watch out for falling coconuts, though.
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