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autumn leaves

The leaves on the plane trees in the street turn gold before they dry out and  softly, floatily, drop to the ground.

 

They are there for the taking - piles of leaves on the street, on nature strips and on footpaths. If we gardeners won't take them, the Council will.

So I rake up some of the leaves into a pile and put them in a large plastic bag.

I empty the bag into the compost. Now the compost heaps are piled high with dried out leaves. 
Behind the compost heap is an old brick wall. The wall was here when we moved in. It was built for safety purposes, a non flammable surface behind the incinerator. During the 1950s, the 1960s, the 1970s and even the 1980s, all gardens had incinerators to burn rubbish. Leaves were regarded as rubbish then and smoky fires were  common in autumn.
How things have changed.
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  1. Hazel29 April 2011 at 10:16

    I know what a waste it is, and I know how bad it is environmentally, and am not suggesting a return to this practice, but there was some thing quintessentially 'Melbourne' about driving down tree lined suburban streets in Autumn with little piles of leaves smoking in the gutters. The light, the smoke, the trees...ah, pretty!

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  2. Kas29 April 2011 at 11:41

    I so agree, a wasted resource. I remember collecting the fakllen leaves in Canberra from a place I babysat at. They were the best mulch.

    Now I have gazillions, I am raking up the decidous leaves almost on a daily basis, gonna make some yummy compost!!!

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  3. littlekarstar29 April 2011 at 14:19

    Your street looks jsut like my street, pin oaks and maples! Beautiful and fabulous compst. I see people drive into the street and sweep up big garbage bags full and carry them away, it makes me smile to think they will all turn into lovely mulch or compost...

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  4. Stephanie29 April 2011 at 14:41

    Good thinking Catmint! And those are nice leaves as well. May be useful for craft projects also ;-)

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  5. cathy@home29 April 2011 at 15:04

    Next year I will be more compost friendly I didn't realize how much brown stuff good compost needs

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  6. Helen/patientgardener30 April 2011 at 05:35

    I always find it funny that just as spring is arriving here so you are having autumn

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  7. Gardener in the Distance30 April 2011 at 22:57

    Catmint, I remember in those piles of burning leaves the potatoes we'd put in for hours till they'd formed charcoal crusts...delicious!

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  8. Malay-Kadazan girl30 April 2011 at 23:47

    My first thought when I look at your pictures was good for compost!

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  9. Denis Wilson1 May 2011 at 00:48

    I once sought permission to rake up leaves from another suburb.
    The guy could not believe his luck (or my supposed stupidity).
    Yes, good compost.

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  10. Cheryl4 May 2011 at 08:13

    We drive around and collect oak leaves here...

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  11. Sue Catmint4 May 2011 at 08:32

    thanks for the visits and comments. cheers, catmint

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  12. tina4 May 2011 at 11:40

    And for the better too. Leaves add so much to our yards-lucky you to have so many!

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  13. Carol6 May 2011 at 19:40

    Dear Catmint, Being able to visit your world is one of the reasons I love blogging. It is wonderful to share gardens and worlds from across the globe. Your fall is lovely and we are finally in full spring glory. Thank goodness people have come to realize the value of so much of our natural resources. Less smoke is good too.

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