FANTASTIC USES FOR FALL LEAVES: FUN & FUNCTIONAL
Raking leaves can be a tedious chore, but all those beautifully fall-colored leaves can be used for so many different things in your yard. They’re both fun and useful, so get raking and take advantage of the bounty Mother Nature has given you!
Reuse Leaves for a Healthier Garden
Leaves are free mulch that insulates the ground through the winter and then improves the soil as they break down in the spring. You can use leaves to pack around tender perennials and layer over the plant’s root zone to insulate them from freeze and thaw cycles. If you have roses, you can use leaves to fill in your rose collar or burlap wrap to help insulate the stems for the winter.
Fallen leaves are an excellent soil conditioner. They add essential nutrients and minerals to the soil while also improving soil texture and health. Add leaves to the soil in your veggie garden or flower beds. To help them break down faster and have a more immediate effect on the soil, rake them into rows, mow over them with your lawnmower a few times, then mix the smaller pieces into your beds or garden. This task becomes even easier if your mower has a bagger!
Other ways to improve your soil with leaves is to add them to your compost. Like mixing it straight into the soil, it’s best to chop the leaves up with your mower before doing this. If you put the leaves in whole, they will break down eventually, but it will take a lot longer, and since they can create quite thick mats, it can slow down the whole compost process.
Fun Ways to Reuse Leaves
There are also many ways to reuse fall leaves in home decor projects or fun crafts for the kids.
Have the kids collect some of the prettiest leaves they can find and press them either in a flower press or in a heavy book. After they’ve flattened out, laminate them and glue magnets to the back for fun seasonal fridge decor.
Send the kids searching for as many different colors and shapes of leaves as they can find, then use them to create art pieces by gluing them onto sheets of paper. They can make any scene they want, but insects like butterflies look really beautiful made out of leaves.
Create a fall leaf mobile by attaching some fishing line around the stems and then tying them at different heights to a round hoop or space them out on a stick. This works best with leaves that have just fallen off, so they’re not brittle yet. It’ll last longest if you preserve the leaves in a glycerin solution for a few days first; there are many instructions online.
You can glue fall leaves onto a wreath form, and don’t forget about that old standby Modge Podge—create coasters, candle holders, placemats, or anything else you want to stick leaves onto to get into the fall vibe.
With a needle and thread, or fishing line, create an original wall hanging or garland with the fall leaves in your yard.
It might feel a bit early to think about it, but try to extend the season of your fall leaves into winter, too. Glue layers of leaves onto a styrofoam cone, starting at the bottom, and create an ornamental Christmas tree. Spray paint the whole thing silver, copper, or gold—whatever suits your seasonal decor style.
Last but not least, if you’ve still got a zillion leaves in your yard, stuff them into a scarecrow or bags that you can shape into pumpkins for Halloween decorations.
For fall decor inspiration or a rake to tackle the leaves in your yard, come by Dammann’s Garden Company and browse our beautiful seasonal selections.