A Quick Picture this Rainy Morning

I got this shot early this morning of the Italian Cyprus in the corner of the property along the front sidewalk.

This Italian Cyprus seems to be quite happy in this location.  I was worried that the drought we experienced this year was taking its toll, but I think it is going to make it.  You see the trees have begun dropping their leaves.  The leaves are so beneficial to the surrounding plants as they decompose, providing a good source of nutrients.  They are not so good for lawns, especially fescue and bluegrass.  These grasses continue to grow through fall and a thick layer of leaves will prohibit their growth.  Leaves make a great mulch for hydrangea or any other plants you may want to protect from winter cold.  Over the past few years, I have worked diligently at replacing lawn with gardens and mulched beds.  I have very little "grassy" areas left.  So I generally let the leaves lay where they fall.  This has helped make for a very nice rich top layer of soil.  Here in the Mid-Atlantic we suffer with predominantly clay soil, which can be difficult to work with.  So, if you can tolerate the leaves in your gardens, leave them and just have the lawn areas cleaned.