
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .

This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .

Take in the fall foliage on a hiking trail, at a local park or in your yard. Turn raking leaves from a chore into a chance to appreciate Mother Nature’s show. Once you have a pile of leaves, it might just be time to channel your inner child and jump in.
Rather than immediately bagging your leaves, consider using some or all of them as a natural mulch. You can spread a thin layer over your garden beds or lawn, allowing the leaves to decompose and add nutrients to the soil. Don’t make the layer too thick, especially over a lawn, as you don’t want to kill whatever might be growing underneath. Use a lawnmower or garden shredder to turn the leaves into smaller pieces.
5 Ways to Put Fall Leaves to Work in Your Garden
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
The “before” photo of this Seattle under-deck area shows how it was a hodgepodge of clutter. The homeowners wanted to create plenty of room where their young children could play, as well as space for dining and lounging.
Landscape designer Rebekah Rongo of SCJ Studio Landscape Architecture answered the call, and a sheltered area that wraps around a corner is part of the result. It’s designed for the kids, with a picnic table on one side, two bright red chairs on the other and a wraparound concrete step connecting the two. Tight-knot western red cedar walls warm up the space, create continuity in the yard’s design and conceal an easy-to-access storage area.
Note the light-colored under-decking too, to ensure that the spaces below stay dry on Seattle’s frequent drizzly days. Any water can drain through the permeable patio paver joints. After this photo was taken, the homeowners added a projection screen under the deck for movie nights.
Read more about this project