Picture #1. I would mow over them until they are not obviously visible. Not because they are too big, but the yard looks messy. I usually mow blowing the clippings into the uncut area. By the time I get to the middle the leaves have nearly disappeared, and it only takes a couple of trip through them to make them nearly disappear.

Picture #2 By spring the leaves will have broken down some and the hostas will grow through those leaves with no problem.

At one time I would rake the leaves of run the mower through them and put them back on the bed. Then I realized it did not make any difference.

I think they look fine. Of course, I gently rake my leaves out of the lawn into the garden beds and let them lie until the soil warms in spring and the pollinators hve moved on from their winter beds in the leaves.

Picture 1 is the back yard that nobody sees. I normally mow it until it’s spotless but am trying to leave some this year. We’ll see 🤣 Im going to leave my garden beds untouched - some have mulch and I have a large tree line with various perennials in it

When you mow them until they disappear, they are still there only in the grass not on it.

You have to be careful when you leave the leaves on the the yard if they are too thick they can kill the grass.

As you said the principal use of the leaves is to mulch the flower beds. The heavy fall goes into the flower beds, the initial and final fall usually gets mowed into the yard.

I also have a chipper shredder so everything that is in the yards stays in the yard or flower beds.

Bed 2 ”It’s a pretty thick layer….”

How thick? Hosta crowns can rot if too thick. You may want to ask this in the Hosta Forum.

tj