Fall is upon us here in Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver, Washington, with winter already quickly approaching. Fall brings the seasonal changing of colors throughout our landscapes; a beautiful sight to behold. However, fall also brings an abundance of leaf-litter as well, cluttering our yards, patios, decks, driveways, and roads. Leaves can drop so abundantly that we are left wondering what can be done about the mess that they create. Here we will discuss the effect leaves can have on our landscapes and what we can do to clean them up!
Leaves and Your Patio/Deck
Your patios and decks are a wonderful place to relax and lounge throughout the year. However, with the arrival of fall, and all of the leaf-litter it brings, it can have negative effects on your decks and patios. Your deck or patio can become completely covered in leaves and debris in a matter of hours. This debris can cause stains on your deck or patio and could result in faster degradation of these materials than would be expected. That is why it is important to remove debris from these areas as quickly as possible.
Leaves and Your Driveway/Roadway
Much like your decks or patios, leaves can quickly cover driveways and roadways. Leaves left unabated in these areas can quickly give your driveway the appearance of an unkempt mess. On top of the disheveled appearance that leaves create in these areas, frozen or wet leaves can cause vehicles to spin out or people to slip and fall. If leaves are left for too long in these areas, they can freeze to the ground, making it even more difficult to properly remove them. Therefore, it is important to speedily remove debris from these areas as well.
Leaves and Your Lawn
Perhaps one of the quickest and most obvious areas that leaves can have a detrimental effect upon is your lawns. Lawns go dormant in late fall and winter, with the grass feeding off the nutrients it has managed to store throughout the rest of the year. However, despite the lawn going dormant, grass still needs sunlight, air, and moisture to maintain its health and lush appearance. Allowing leaves to pile upon your lawn deprives the grass of these essential elements. Leaves left for an extended period of time, will quickly begin to create brown, patchy spots in your lawn, which can be time-consuming and expensive to restore. Again, this is why it is important to remove this debris from these areas as quickly as possible.
Solutions to Leaf Problems
Now that leaves have begun to litter our landscapes the question of what to do with all of these leaves arises. There are two main solutions to this problem; you can either remove them entirely from your property or find some use for them. You can gather (by raking or blowing) all of these leaves into one area, collect them and transport them to a recycling center. You can also choose to use these leaves in various ways on your property. Leaves can be gathered, collected, and placed into flower beds to protect plants from the frost and freezing temperatures. As leaves break down in these areas, it helps to build healthy soil. Another option would be to place them into compost piles and allow them to break down, creating a healthy soil amendment to use later.
Fall is a beautiful season, but with it comes an abundance of leaves which can prove difficult to manage, especially when you have to deal with it during the cold temperatures. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the thought of having to combat leaf-litter, Urban Eden Landscaping would love to help. We have all the necessary tools and experience to tackle all of your landscape needs. Contact us today or fill out our FREE estimate request online.