I've never posted about fall cleanup before. Usually I would emphasize the beauty of fall colors. However, As the garden has matured I have discovered some simple steps for fall garden cleanup. Very simply, don't rake!
If I wait long enough, and beat the first snow fall, I have discovered that the leaves, which fall in abundance throughout the neighborhood, eventually blow into a few zones. Once they bunch up, cleanup is much easier.
In the Zen garden, most of the leaves will end up in the rock bed.
I also use a blower to push them from the walkway into the bed. Once there, I lift them onto a large tarp and carry them out in a couple of large loads. However, to really clean it, I need a vacuum, hence I use a blower that is also a vacuum. I use a TRIVAC 12-Amp Electric 3-IN-1 Blower / Mulcher / Yard Vacuum.
This allows me to extract most of the leaf material from the rock bed, which can't be raked. The blower/vac also mulches, which is useful for disposal or use as garden composting. Without this vac, completing the cleanup of the Zen garden bed would be very difficult and time consuming.
It should be noted that I still have to crawl through the bed on my hands and knees and pull any remaining stubborn remnants which get stuck in the rocks. I usually have to repeat this step in the spring as well. I actually don't mind this step - I find it relaxing, like a moment of zen-like meditation.
Another accumulation zone is the rock/gravel filled mini-zen garden. Again the blower/vac helps a great deal.
The Dragon's Spine bed also becomes an accumulation zone.
The middle gate is typically shut during this time of year. As a result, minimal amount of leaves blow into the walkway between the house and garage.
When they do, they end up along the edges of the building.
The Viewing and Stroll Gardens are a different story. Here is where an enormous amount of leaf material accumulates. The Stroll Garden gate area is especially prone to leaf accumulation. Its like a vortex where seemingly every leaf in he neighborhood ultimately resides.
It helps to wait until late in the season and then move the majority of the leaves onto a large tarp for transport to the back woods. A final cleanup finishes up with the blower/vac and then hand collection, especially within the bamboo. Again, this has to be repeated in the spring.
Although leaf collection is not a inspiring garden process, it is part of the maintenance of the garden. Before one considers building a garden, especially a large one, a person must consider all of the effort that goes into keeping it looking nice. The garden always looks great in the spring and summer, but remember, that beauty is the result of good planning, time management, and hard work.
