LOL Sassy, it is leaves and personally, I leave them in the main shade garden. They add nutrients to the soil as they break down, hostas seem to have no trouble pushing up through them in the spring and they also seem to keep the weeds down in the fact they keep the seeds from sprouting because of lack of sun. I do go out in the spring and check to make sure the smaller hostas or shade plants are able to push up though them, sometimes I do have to push the leaf cover aside, but for the most part, any established hosta is able to make it through and sometimes I find a hosta with a leaf wrapped around it from where it pushed through the leaf, those I remove. But for the most part, they add a layer of insulation and feed the ground.

do you have a slug problem?

I do the same as Choc,and no,I don't have a slug problem. Hardly saw a one this season. HF

Do you have a voles problem?
Every year I would shred my leaves and use them as mulch (great stuff). Unfortunately starting last winter until now I lost several plants (hosta, pulmonarias, heucheras) to those buggers. Now I am planning to remove all the mulch from my shade beds.

Peter

What type trees are they? Oak, Japanese maples, walnut, ash leaves make great cover but maples, redbuds and poplars do not. The leaves are big and don't permit moisture to reach the plants underneath the mulch. Big leaves should be shredded and then used as mulch.

When my fallen leaves dry out some, I'll blow the excess out with the leaf blower or suck them out with the shredder/vac. Many of my leaf-fall are thick and leathery, and don't decompose quickly.

Although we did not have any frost yet in my Zone 5b, last night 2 deg.C (36 degF) gave the final blow to the majority of my hostas. Many leaves are yellow...have fallen close to the ground in a circular fashion...and as I rake my garden to remove the leaves, many dead hosta leaves rakes out with the leaves. I cleanup all my gardens until frost time so that next year I will have minimum work to do other than to see the eyes emerge.

Papou

I appreciate all who replied. Thanks.

In the past I've always left the leaves on the ground.

I remember my 6th grade science teacher said the same thing
that Choco said, "they add nutrients to the soil and add a
layer of insulation."

Ken.... Yes, I have a slug problem. Mostly at my campsite.
You feel that leaving the leaves on the ground all winter adds to the slug problem? Maybe that layer of insulation keeps them (the slugs) protected? I guess that makes sense. Do you remove ALL your hosta leaves and tree leaves before winter? With the amount that you have that must take forever!

Peter.... No vole problem. That's the only good thing that my 3 cats do well, take care of the rodents.

Highjack.... At my campsite the trees are oak. Last spring I tried to move a thick blanket of wet/heavy oak leaves with my leaf blower and that was a real job.
At home I have sugar & silver maple and poplar trees around the hostas.

Decisions, decisions. I think I'll go with removing the leaves at the camper where I have the biggest slug problem and then just fertilize well next year. At home I'll leave them alone.

Thanks again. Your opinions are appreciated.

Greetings from MA!

This is my first posting to any of the garden forums, though I have been learning so much from all of you for several years! Like Sassy, I have been wondering about fall cleanup....what to leave and what to rake up!

For 15 years or so I have been hauling pine needles (I believe white pine needles about 3" long) to the rear of our property. I have dumped them along with maple and oak leaves and let them decompose. The piles have become quite high, as you can imagine. We put a cedar fence in one part of the yard to hide the piles! I have used the compost in most planting holes for all these years.

I wondered if I could just haul the needles and shredded leaves to several beds that need some "help". (I don't want to create any more problems to deal with. We have experienced problems with slugs and chipmunks and I do believe I have seen the remains of several voles on my neighbor's front steps.) If you think this idea is wise...then approximately how much can I safely add to the beds? There are some hostas and several shrubs in a particular bed, a kousa dogwood tree, and assorted lilies. All could use a compost boost....or perhaps another "boost"! If you think it unwise....please let me know.

Right now the needles are in "pristine" condition. I can easily pick up a wheelbarrow or two each day just off the driveway! I have to admit that every Spring I have cleared all the needles from all my beds along with the other winter debris. I guess the "aesthetics" are also part of my concern. I am not considering adding this mixture to my other "strictly Hosta" beds... At least not until I hear from you!

I would appreciate your thoughts! Thank you in advance!

Susan

I live on two acres of mostly Burr Oak. I leave the leaves where they fall in my hosta beds. I rake out all of my hosta gardens as soon as the ice is gone. I do not leave them all growing season mostly because of slugs. They hide and multiply under the leaves. I hope the nutrients are sucked out of the leaves come spring. Digging them into the soil would be the most beneficial, but that is WAY too much work for this gardener.

In my area which is Toronto, I do have slugs but what I do is, leave some of the maples leaves on pine bark chips which I hate and would never have used them because they are too big. I have found mini chips which where better but I will be switching to cedar mulch. I also have a ring of copper wire around the base of each hosta which keeps a lot of the slugs away under the leaves. So far so good.

We remove all the leaves from the beds too. They make a nice cozy place for voles to live.
Pam