back yard
After
Light Things Up
1. Splash on Some Paint
after
Include Secret Spots
4. Mix Leaves — Shredded or Not — Into a Compost Pile Now, Where They’ll Break Down Over Winter Even better: Stockpile dried leaves, in garbage bags or piled in that out-of-the-way place, for summer. In warm weather there’s an abundance of succulent green material (nitrogen) for your compost pile. But to keep the composting process aerobically working, and not rotting, it needs lots of “browns” (carbon), in the form of dried material.
3. Make Leaf Mold Leaf mold is simply wet leaves that have decomposed into a rich, black, soil-like substance that makes a perfect mulch for plants. Pile the leaves in a spot where they’re out of the way and won’t blow away. Or make large (3- or 4-foot) circles of chicken wire, 3 feet high, and pile the leaves in them. Wet the leaves as you go so they’ll rot. Turning the pile a few times during the winter will accelerate the process.
Create a swale. If rainwater runs off your property too quickly, incorporate a rain garden or a swale. Swales are broad, shallow ditches. They capture water running down a slope, slowing its speed, directing it toward planted areas and allowing it to percolate back into the soil. To keep the swale from looking too stark, add plants along the interior or fill it with rocks to mimic a dry creek bed.
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