Leaves in Garden

[gleno1]

I m have thousands of dead leaves all over my garden ,coming from my neighbours garden.I have managed to rake them off my lawns but my flower beds and wildlife garden are absolutely covered.Will it do any harm to leave them until the weather gets warmer?One of my friends says it will encourage slugs and snails.Thankyou for any replies.

[woofgang]

I leave mine every year with no problems. If you encourage wildlife anyway, slugs and snails will be a good meal for the birds and hedgehogs

[agardner09]

The lawn is probably the only area that would suffer otherwise no problem. I heard on the radio the other day that RHS Rosemoor is experimenting with the use of dead leaves as a mulch on their flower beds. I agree with woofgang that the widlife will love them.

[NazNomad]

I raked all mine into huge piles on the flowerbeds. They'll either mulch down or the hedgehog will get cosy in them.

[237SJ]

No problem leaving them over the lawn, but if you scrape them up and pile them into a corner of the garden you could get rats nesting in them.

[NazNomad]

I like rats ... and I like hedgehogs ... but which is better?


There's only one way to find out ... FIIIIIIIGHT!

[welshlibranr]

I leave the leaves on the flower beds, they rot down and provide compost, and a cosy place for the hedgehogs to sleep the Winter through!...............

[237SJ]

Christ, do you really Naz? I like hedgehogs too but not rats.

[gleno1]

Thankyou all very much for replying to my query.1 havent seen a hedgehog in my garden for years .Maybe the leaves would encourage them so i will leave them,i just hope that i wont see a rat.i would freeze!