Leafy war zone
Oh, man, I had a lot of fun walking to 7-Eleven for coffee today. I passed a house where the owners totally gave up on leaf clean-up. It looked horrendous but I understand why they would give up. So I smiled and walked by in search of coffee.
The London plane trees (Platanus x acerifolia) on the boulevard produce a lot of pollen and it sticks to everything: leaves, bark bits and seed pods. If you hang out long enough with your rake in hand, it’s likely your eyes will soon be watering. The London plane is the only thing in our West Coast landscape that affects me negatively. I don’t suffer from any allergies but this tree makes me cry.
I’m pretty sure the homeowner is responsible for the piles in front of the fence. Leaving it all piled up will also destroy the lawn underneath: that alone would motivate me to take care of the leaves.
Briefly I considered leaving my business card at the door but I live too far away in Port Moody. Clearly the owners are too busy or out of tissues. It’s also possible the residents are renters but I detest that label.
There’s more
This house wasn’t the only leafy place in the neighbourhood. I found a really leafy exit door area that made me shake my head. Take a look.
I don’t like leaving any exits leafy because people can easily slip on soggy, decomposing leaves. If the landscape contractor is already off then maybe get the caretaker to blow this area. This is an area waiting for an accident to happen. It also looks awful in early January, 2024, meaning that it wasn’t clean for the holidays.
It’s not that bad
Leaf clean up isn’t that bad if you remove the drop in stages. Take one load away and then stop stressing about the new drop. It’s fresh, so enjoy the fall colours and come back another day.
Allowing the leaves to accumulate on your lawn is a mistake because it will turn yellow and die. Then come spring you will extra work to do. Don’t let that happen.
