*UPDATE* Following Susie's wise advice, the photo above is now entered into the Gardening Gone Wild monthly photo contest. This month's theme "End of the Line", applies in two ways for this photo: the length of leaf terminating into a knot and the fact that the leaves are at the end of their life-cycle. Enjoy! (Back to your regularly scheduled program)
The only living thing in our little front garden that we actually kept was a tall yucca-like tree, probably planted soon after the house was built in 1931. It seems to be a place for birds to take a rest and squirrels to chide our cat watching them from the nearby window. After the recent storms, a slew of dried leaves littered the ground like a strange game of pick-up sticks. Instead of throwing them into the green bin, I methodically bundled handfuls and lashed them together with their own leaves. I've left them lying around the front yard, where they seem to convey the remnants of a witches' ceremony. I find myself drawn to the contrast of the organically curled ends and the matter-of-fact pointy tips.
The big win-win-win is that I didn't have to fill the green bin with the leaves and I'll be able to attack the encroaching ivy before garbage day, I now have Autumnal garden sculpture, and the thought that native bees just might nest inside the bundles for a winter snuggle keeps me happy. (Even if the idea is far-fetched).
