Fall Clean-ups for your Rain Garden

If your rain garden is situated near large trees, you're probably wondering what to do about all those leaves in the rain garden.  I am often asked if it's okay to leave them there.  My answer is
no. 

Although you may wish to add a layer of composted leaves as a top dressing to help nourish your rain garden plants, it's not a good idea to let a heavy build-up of leaves accumulate.  Many low growing sedums and other ground cover plants will be blocked from receiving winter sunlight if leaves have piled up over them.

So what is the best way to rid the rain garden of the leaves?  Since many of the sedums and creeping jenny that make such wonderful ground covers would be damaged by raking, I recommend the use of a leaf blower.  This removes the leaves to be collected and taken to the compost pile.  Many find leaf blower noises to be annoying and that would include me but they safely remove unwanted items without damaging your other plants.  They also give your back, arms and shoulders a break from the constant raking motion.

There are both gas powered and electric varieties to choose from and some allow you to dial the force of the air up and down.  A light weight electric type with the variable air force mechanism would be my best choice.  Good sources are Home Depot, Lowes and other large home improvement stores for the best selection.  Don't rule out checking your locally owned garden center as they may provide excellent advice as well as the product you need.