Day 3 · Nature

Let the leaves lie

Leave this autumn's fallen leaves on your beds and under hedges instead of bagging them.

Raking, bagging and binning leaves is work that mostly undoes itself. Left where they fall on flower beds and under shrubs, leaves keep roots warm through winter, hold moisture, shade out weeds and slowly feed the soil. Hedgehogs, beetles and moth larvae overwinter in them. Keep paths and drains clear, then let the rest lie. If you have a lawn, rake the leaves off it and onto the borders. The garden knows what to do with them.