One of the advantages of the unseasonably warm, snow-free winter in the Northeast this year is that the millions of us in the upper right quadrant of the country can tend to our "outdoor housekeeping" long before spring arrives. It's rare to have unfrozen ground in these parts come January, but no matter how often a person rakes in the fall, there's always a hefty helping of leaves hanging around the yard when the temperature dips. Once those leaves freeze to the ground, there's no removing them until everything thaws out. This year, I've been able to scoop them up, for the most part, and get the landscape prepped for a spectacular spring season, just two months away.
As I've mentioned many times before (in mantra-like fashion), oak leaves are like gold for flower beds, so keep tender perennials covered in a layer of the tannin-rich gems, which protect them from predation, act as natural pesticides and regulate plant growth in the off season. Grassy surfaces and hardscaped places do better when the leaves are removed, so grab a rake before the mercury drops!
Gotta admit, you won't be popular with you town's highway department. The crews are gearing up for salting and plowing, not leaf-bag pickup. Driving the highways and byways of your town, they'll grimace when they see those telltale bags out by your curb, but let's face it, they've got plenty of time to gather and tote your leaf bags, with nary a snowflake in sight!
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