Fallen leaves get raked, bagged, and hauled to the curb in most neighborhoods every October, which removes three things a garden bed actually benefits from: free mulch, slow-release nutrients, and winter shelter for overwintering insects that pollinate next year’s garden.
A 2- to 3-inch layer of shredded leaves over a perennial bed insulates roots through freeze-thaw cycles, suppresses spring weed germination, and breaks down over winter into the same nutrients a bag of compost provides - at no cost. Whole, unshredded leaves can mat down and smother small plants, so running a mower over them once before spreading solves most of the problem.
Many native moth and butterfly species overwinter as pupae or larvae in leaf litter at the base of the specific plants they feed on. Stripping beds bare each fall removes that habitat along with the leaves, which is part of why a tidy fall cleanup and declining pollinator counts often show up in the same yard.
This isn’t an argument for never raking. Leaves left thick on a lawn can smother turf, and disease-prone plants (roses with black spot, for example) benefit from leaf removal specifically around their base. The practical version: rake leaves off lawn areas and diseased plants, and redirect them onto perennial beds and under shrubs instead of bagging them for pickup.
Adeline has spent the last decade writing about residential landscapes, from quarter-acre suburban lots to rooftop container gardens. She tr…
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