The Rye rendition of The Charge of The Light Brigade: Leaves to the left of you, leaves to the right of you, Leaves to the front of you. Into the valley of leaves, forward the raking brigade. Boldly and well, into the jaws of leafdom.
Unlike The Light Brigade you shall emerge victorious.
Embrace the leaves. Mulch, mow, and … surprise! — they flatten out next to nothing. Spread them on garden beds. Dump additional leaves in a quiet garden corner. Shovel a little soil on top and wet down. The pile will reduce height quickly. Need more leaves? There are rows of leaf bags at curbs all over town. Observe the trees at a property to decide if their leaves are worthy of your bespoke compost pile. Next spring you will have a wormy leaf mold to top-dress plants. Also, you’ll have a bounty of free reusable leaf bags.
Once all leaves fall, service your lawn mower for winter — drain gas, check spark plugs, change oil, sharpen blades, and oil all ball bearings and moving parts. Better yet, trade up to a battery-operated lawn mower to eliminate dealing with messy gas or oil. Just sharpen the blade, oil the wheels, clean the deck, and roll to the back of the garage for the winter. Store lithium batteries in a warm location, as wintry weather reduces their recharge life.
If your garden has shady spot gaps, try these three deer-resistant plants:
Fritillaria for an exotic look. The crown imperials stand tall with downcast yellow or orange flowers topped with spiky pineapple-like leaves. They thrive in semishade or open areas. Do not be timid, plant a bunch. The smaller Fritillaria meleagris are equally exotic with their checkered board leaf display. Plant where there is sun to dappled shade. Planted en masse to provide a distinctive look.
Hellebores or lenten rose pop up around Easter, ergo their name. They are hardy perennials that naturalize, and with global warming are now mostly evergreen. Lenten rose is pink-purple in color. Due to their early blooming nature, hellebores like to be kept in the shade or partial shade, along with well-drained soil; they’re perfect for a hill. These late winter and early spring perennials grace your shade garden. Sold at Easter in pots, they can be replanted outdoors later. Elevate your garden with a stunning array of hellebore plants.
Lily of the Valley thrives in shady areas and under trees. The racemes or flowers have a divine fragrance. To ensure they spread quickly, loosen soil, add rich humus or compost and keep semimoist. Once established, they offer a fragrant green blanket to fill annoying shady gaps.
It is time to bring in houseplants. First check them for any disease or insects. Clip off infected and damaged leaves. Replant as needed. Most homes are dry as deserts, which will make winter watering important. Place waterproof saucers under all pots, fill them with gravel to offer humidity and protect furniture. Never place plants in a drafty location. Never allow leaves to touch cold windows.
The birds have done an excellent job of feasting on garden pests and serenading you all summer. Now it’s time to encourage them to stick around. Thistle seed feeders have tiny openings that gold finches like and squirrels ignore. Suet block feeders attract attractive woodpeckers.
Thoroughly clean bird feeders. Scrap all packed stale seeds, especially those wedged in the bottom, to ensure no mold growth on freshly added seed.
Squirrels and chipmunks are feeder thugs. They always find a way up. However, a wobbly metal cone collar on a pole works well in deterring them. The cones are available at most garden centers and hardware stores. They work.
Clean your gutters after all leaves fall. Store, or cover wooden garden furniture, bring terracotta pots inside. Drain, coil, and store your hoses. Do not forget to shut off outside faucets and drain water lines. Have sprinkler lines blown out and water shut off.
Fertilizers and any amendments should be used up, as over winter they will lose their potency. Not to mention it gives you the opportunity to declutter the garage a bit. Garage and declutter, two words that strike fear in many. Who knows what evil lurks deep in the dark corners?
The Light Brigade would not shy away, nor should you. Really, what are you saving stuff for? Donate old bikes, skis, and whatever your family is no longer using.
