Fallen leaves play important role in gardens for yard of the month winner
Leaves, leaves, leaves...they’re falling everywhere in Wood County, and lots of folks are bagging them for trash collection.
But Judi Luce has a better idea. She shreds them with the …
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Fallen leaves play important role in gardens for yard of the month winner
Leaves, leaves, leaves...they’re falling everywhere in Wood County, and lots of folks are bagging them for trash collection.
But Judi Luce has a better idea. She shreds them with the lawnmower, then puts some in the compost pile and shares more with friends who aren’t blessed with trees.
She says mounds of shredded leaves are also good for protecting plants during hard freezes, and working them into the soil of her vegetable garden gives benefits as well.
For the past 27 years, Judi has made her home at 579 CR 2610 in Woodland East and was first attracted to the property by all the mature trees in the neighborhood. She became even more interested in gardening after getting her certification as a Master Gardener.
Judi credits her healthy, green grass with regular pre-emergent treatments, fertilizing and mowing. She keeps her colorful flowerbeds in bloom by inspecting them for weeds and watering them as needed. After thinning out too prolific specimens, she trades for other plants with her neighbors.
While the numerous Encore azaleas in the front beds are her favorite flowering shrubs, she’s also included lantana, verbena, purple oxalis and a host of other perennials into the mix. In the spring, she plants annuals such as petunias, geraniums and sweet potato vines. Fall will find her placing pansies to help provide winter interest. She usually has periwinkles, too, since they vigorously reseed and are often still blooming into December.
Judi loves being outside and digging in the dirt, but, like every gardener, has faced some challenges. Since there is a slope from the street down to her house, French drains in the front were a must, and she plans to put them in the back as well. Armadillos love to dig holes, something she has yet to resolve.
She knows her limits, so she keeps things simple and manageable, not “biting off more than she can chew.” That decision has given her more time to enjoy her lovely landscape.
Mineola’s Fannie Marchman Garden Club has chosen the Luce home as the December Yard of the Month.