fallen leafs around shrubs

[honkytonkgal]

would it be o.k. to leave the leafs around shrubs or would they cause a disease.

thanks

[woofgang]

If disease is present, it will have nice winter protection and pop up in the spring, eg black spot. I have mixed shrub areas and I pile all my fallen leaves under them to improve the soil, haven't seen any increase in disease, however standard advice is to remove fallen stuff

[funnywebsite]

I was reading something about leaves last week and I think I remember it saying it's a good idea to leave some for hedehogs who can hibernate under them.

[WendyS]

If the leaves are diseased I'd remove them. Otherwise I'd leave them to rot down and improve the soil. Also, if you have small bulbs like crocus or snowdrops planted around the shrubs it will protect them from frost and help them to bloom a little earlier. All sorts of little insects will shelter under them which makes it a good foraging site for birds who eat them.

[Robinia]

I only remove diseased leaves too, & fortunately that's not many, from beneath shrubs that are in soil. However I remove all leaves from the lawns as they cause the grass to die & leave bare patches. I love to hear the blackbirds scuffling about in the leaves looking for grubs & worms.

[funnywebsite]

I just bought a house and there was an extra fence panel up which didn't match the rest of the fence. I looked behind it and they had dumped loads of old garden waste at the back and put a fence panel in front to hide it. Anyway last weekend a fence panel broke so we lifted up the odd fence panel that was hiding the garden waste and took it to repair the normal fence. As quick as lighting there were birds quickly having a look at what they could find to eat in all the old garden waste that had been hidden. We have a lovely little robin that keeps an eye on the garden. I cannot believe lazy people. We have only just bought the house but in the spring we have a big clear up job.

[logman]

Think about it, you dont see anyone sweeping leaves up in the forest ! You can leave them to nature and let the worms etc to their recycling act, if the leaves are big and leathery like plain and sycamore, you may find it more practicle to rake them out, compost them (it can take 3 years ) and use it as mulch or compost in the garden. One short-cut is to shred the leaves mix in some grass cuttings and stuff it all in plastic bags, should take about a year to rot, if the leaves are on your lawn, then your mower can save on the shredding.