Why you should ditch the rake and leave the leaves alone this autumn

 As the leaves fall this autumn, you can do your bit for wildlife without forgoing your love of a pristine, tidy garden.

“A nature-rich garden doesn’t have to be a terrible mess,” says Oliver Fry of Surrey Wildlife Trust. “It can be a beautiful thing in which you use nature to help realise your gardening dreams.” Instead of viewing fallen leaves as an eyesore to be laboriously raked up and disposed of, utilise them to keep your lawn neat and vigorous, your beds and borders healthy, and to ensure the survival of the mammals, amphibians, insects and birds without which your garden cannot survive.

If you provide leafy food, shelter and safety to keep the wildlife food chain alive during the cold months, come the warmer weather, your trees will ring with birdsong, your pond will erupt with amphibian frolics, and your flowers and produce will flourish, courtesy of an abundance of pollinators and an army of pest predators.

Clear with care

Clear leaves from paths and drives where they pose a slipping hazard and look unsightly, and move them into hidden, less obvious spots, such as behind sheds, under hedges or at the back of borders.

When you are clearing heaps of leaves, check first that something is not already hiding inside. For example, there might be hibernating hedgehogs, sheltering mice, or brumating [dormant] frogs, toads, slow worms and newts. Many of these creatures are already under pressure from habitat loss and are rapidly dwindling in numbers, so the more we can help them the better. “In return hedgehogs, frogs and toads, which bring real fun to a garden, will eat lots of your pests, including slugs and snails,” says Fry.

Create piles

Create leaf piles for creatures to hide and hibernate in and for birds to root in for food. Choose sheltered spots, partially dig the leaves down into the soil so that the top of the pile is at ground level, and perhaps cover the pile with sacking. This will lessen the chance of the leaves being disturbed and blown away by autumn gales and winter winds.

In addition to mammals and amphibians, the leafy homes will harbour insects in diapause [where they have shut down for the winter], such as fireflies, butterflies and moth larvae. There will be detritivores, such as woodlice and beetles, which play a vital role in breaking down the leaves by feeding on the decaying matter and in turn provide meals for birds, toads, frogs and spiders.

To cater for a wide range of creatures, locate the piles in different areas so that some keep dry and warm in sunnier spots, and others are in a damper, darker corner. Hedgehogs, mice and shrews prefer dry, warm nests, whereas amphibians and detritivores like damp, shady spaces.

Support visiting birds

Garden birds need to be able to root through leaves to find seeds, worms, grubs and insects to keep them alive. “Blackbirds, wrens, thrushes, dunnocks and robins all really need leaves to root around in for food and a sense of security, and they’re all friends of the gardener,” says Fry. “Blackbirds like to throw things around a bit, but it’s a small price to pay.” 

The more eggs, larvae and caterpillars you can keep alive over the winter, the more food will be available for birds to feed their young come the spring.

Mow fallen leaves

Instead of continually raking up dead leaves from your grass, get out your lawnmower. Shredding leaves by mowing them speeds up their decomposition for making leaf mould, mulch or compost, especially thicker leaves such as sycamore, walnut, horse chestnut and sweet chestnut. Lawn clippings will add to their nutrient value.

Leave some shredded leaves on your grass though, says Fry: “The worms will then grab them down into the soil, which enriches it, so it’s great for your lawn. It’s nature regenerating your garden for free.” The leaf shreds will quickly get sucked down into the soil by earthworms, microbes and the rain.

Use leaves as mulch

Use leaves on beds and borders as a mulch to lock moisture into the soil and keep plant roots warm over the winter. As it decomposes over time it will enrich your soil.

“Locking in moisture is so important with the weather getting hotter and drier in the summer,” says Fry. “You need to use every trick in the book to keep your garden hydrated. Leaf mulch is a way of doing it with zero cost to yourself and the environment.”

The mulch also provides a home for insects and food for birds.