The Great Dead-Leaf Debate – who knew?

Who knew there was so much controversy around the question of what's the "greenest" thing to do with dead leaves?  Actually I've gotten more than a hint of the controversy because over on GardenRant people have, of course, ranted about this very topic.  More than a few who follow the "leaf it be" practice of letting leaves stay in the garden all winter criticize the leaf-removers for their choice, even going so far as to make armchair diagnoses of the the leaf-removers' "problem" (apparently we're anal-compulsive!).

It all came to light again on my local gardening email group recently, and that prompted not one but two blog posts covering the controversy and trying to make some sense of it all.

Part 1 covers whether to remove the leaves or not (minus the Freudian diagnoses) and Part 2 covers chopping, mulching, and composting by homeowners or their local government (pictured here).