Actually, pictured are SIX more reasons, and they're just a few of the groundcovers that look just fine here in late November (photos taken 11/22). My point is that all of them are all much nicer to look at than dead leaves. Isn't winter dreary enough without covering up our evergreen groundcovers?
Now if you garden in, say, Buffalo like my friend Elizabeth, your beds are going to be covered with snow all winter anyway, so what the hell. But here in balmy Zone 7, we get to see plants..
Clockwise from upper left are: Hellebore, lambs' ears, Vinca minor, Pulmonaria, Carex 'Ice Dance', and Ajuga.
.jpg)
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Well, actually I am a big fan of the evergreen ground cover, and if you have it, you have to get rid of your leaves, as they do not readily decompose in it. so there's your seventh reason! Thanks for the linkie!
Remove the leaves only if you want a sterile, manicured appearance. Leave it to nature and you will be happy with the results
I agree with hortoris. I like leaves in some of my garden beds, especially under the oaks and avocados – both of which are happy to have them. The oak tree is doing great and we are enjoying the avocados right now. Best of all, I'm not out there raking.
Hailing from the great white Canadian north, I have to agree that even here, you can eek out a few more weeks of colour by judiciously maintaining some of your perennials. I cut back old flowering stalks and freshen leaves to allow some of my more evergreen (it's eversnow here for most of the winter) to give one last show before the snow. I even do this with my veggies to coax out another flush of greens.
Oh I do want to point out that I am a huge fan of leaving the fall leaves for mulch, I just tidy up around some focal plants for colour. I also leave some stalks and seeds for the wildlife.