A conservation group says you can embrace your inner laziness and avoid fall’s dreaded chore: raking leaves.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada is encouraging you to keep your leaves on the ground until the spring.
Andrew Holland, a spokesperson for the group, said leaving a thin layer of leaves can act as free fertilizer for your lawn.
But Holland warns against leaving the leaves all in one big pile on your lawn as that could actually damage your lawn.
“If you leave huge piles of leaves on your lawn, then it can smother your turf and damage it and cause mould on it next spring so we don’t encourage that,” said
In addition to helping your lawn, Holland said the leaves can also help support biodiversity. He said the leaves can provide important habitat for many species.
“It’s helpful for insects and pollinators, moths and butterflies, which we really need. These are native species and birds rely on those insects as a food source through the year.”
For those seeking a tidy lawn but still wanting to do their part, Holland suggests putting those leaves in flower beds and around shrubs.
“That helps protect the roots of those shrubs from the freeze/thaw cycle that we get each and every year here in the Maritimes,” he said.
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