Wrap your head around this for a moment. By all accounts, there are over 400 million acres of trees in America and many of them drop their leaves in the fall, including the oak. Now, remember that each mature oak tree alone has the potential to drop about a ton of leaves every autumn. When you do, it will be easy to see that at this time of year, leaf disposal is at the top of most residential landscape maintenance lists. So what’s a homeowner to do when faced with tons of fall foliage?
1.) DIY Concrete Stamping Accents
For starters, homeowners may want to consider experimenting with DIY concrete stamping. It involves laying leaves, vein side down, on top of freshly poured concrete, and letting them sit like that until the concrete begins to harden. Once the leaves are removed, their imprints will remain forever in place. So some crafty folks like to use the technique to make everything from homemade stepping stones and decorative stair ledges to artistic risers.
2.) Kiddie Crafts for the Holidays
While our residential landscape team is on the topic of DIY activities, it’s important to mention that kids can use fall foliage to make stuff too. For example, little kids may enjoy making leaf rubbings and collages. Older ones may want to coat the leaves with wax and incorporate them into seasonal decorations. There is typically a lot of leaf related crafts for kids posted online. Thus, finding a great one to complete with the family shouldn’t be hard to do.
3.) Scarecrow Families
In addition, you could opt to let the kids go “old school” and use the lawn debris to make one-of-a-kind scarecrows. In our families’ opinions, it’s a classic seasonal activity that no matter how much time passes, never totally goes out of style. To bring it into the modern age, simply create scarecrows that resemble characters or celebrities that today’s kids would clearly recognize.
4.) Natural Lawn & Garden Mulch
Our residential landscape maintenance professionals also suggest saving some of the leaves and incorporating them into garden mulch. In our experience, they’ll mix well with store-bought manure or fertilizer too. Therefore, don’t be afraid to toss them into homemade potting soil mixtures or compost teas as well. If you start now, there may just be enough nutrient-packed soil to start those seedlings in the spring.
5.) Hire a Professional
Lastly, consider calling our residential landscape maintenance professionals. We can dispose of as much or as little fall foliage and other lawn debris as you like for an affordable price. Plus, we can make your autumn lawn into something that will leave everyone else nearby envious. To learn more about our professional lawn services and have a team take care of your residential landscaping tasks in the fall months ahead, please contact us today.