Tag: fall-blooming plants

Leave The Leaves: A Simple Way to Help Wildlife and Your Garden

On By durhammastergardenersIn bees, beneficial insects, composting, dealing with fall leaves on lawn, Durham NC, fall gardening, garden design, gardening, Gardening information, gardening NC, insects, lawns, leaves, mulch, pollinator gardening, pollinators, soil, soil health, soil microbes, sustainability, sustainable gardening, sustanability, urban wildlife

By Marcia Kirinus, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

Image credit: Jean Epiphan


Did you know that the National Wildlife Federation has designated October as Leave the Leaves Month? This initiative encourages people to rethink traditional fall yard clean-up by leaving fallen leaves in place—or at least on your property—instead of bagging them up and sending them to the landfill

Traditional fall clean-up often involves raking or blowing leaves, bagging them, and setting them out on the curb. Then we head over to the big box store to buy mulch and fertilizer to replace what nature is already providing. This process is time consuming, resource draining, and unnecessary. Leaves are not trash. We are missing an opportunity.

Instead, let nature do the hard work — your garden will thank you. The thing that is most natural to do — the thing that happens in nature — is to let your leaves lie where they fall. If you have extra leaves, bag them and offer them to neighbors or local gardeners who can make good use of them.

Beyond convenience, there are significant benefits to leaving the leaves. First and foremost, they nourish the soil. As leaves decompose, they enrich the soil with nutrients, promoting healthier, richer soils. Consider them free mulch and fertilizer. Second, leaves insulate the soil, protecting it from temperature fluctuations. They also help retain moisture. Finally, leaves make incredibly important habitats for wildlife. Have you noticed a decline in lightning bugs? Most of their life cycle is spent under leaf debris. By keeping your leaves in place you can boost wildlife habitats, enrich your soil, and even help with global environmental challenges.

Left: Adult Firefly. Right: Larvae of Firefly . Most fireflies are habitat specialists. They rely on undisturbed leaf litter for one year or more to complete their lifecycles. These insects spend most of their lives as larvae preying on earthworms and other animals in the soil or leaf litter. If that habitat is disrupted during their youth, populations can be extinguished. (Image credit M. Bertone, NCSU Entomology.)

Last year’s oak leaves slowly decomposing with the help of small pinwheel mushrooms (Marasmius rotula).  Image credit: Jean Epiphan


Soil Enrichment: The Cornerstone of Healthy Gardens

Soils rich in organic matter absorb and retain water better, turning a soggy lawn into a sponge-like garden bed. In as little as two years, you can turn those wet areas into walkable spaces. It’s not a miracle as building soils naturally is a slow process, but it’s a start and it’s free.

Healthy soil, enriched by decomposed leaves, supports deep-rooted plants, reduces watering needs, and improves plant resilience.


Wildlife Benefits: From Moths to Bumblebees

Leaves provide shelter for many species, including fireflies, butterflies, Moths and endangered bumblebees. Caterpillars overwinter in leaf litter, which also sustains backyard birds in spring. By leaving leaves on the ground, you’re creating essential habitats for these creatures, helping maintain biodiversity and supporting the larger food chain, from insects to birds. Caterpillars, which overwinter in the leaf litter, are a primary food source for 96% of backyard birds during the spring.

From Left to Right: Luna moth pupae, ( Actias luna ), are often difficult to see as they are a chestnut brown and overwinter in leaf litter. In the spring it will emerge as a soft green, 3 to 4.5 inch moth. All life stages provide food for predators. (Image credit: Donald W. Hall, UF) Leaf litter is the ideal Earthworm habitat. Earthworms provide beneficial castings which are building blocks to healthy soil. (Image credit: M. Bertone, NCSU) Woolly bear (Pyrrharctia isabella) construct shelters like this one made from pine needles to protect themselves from the winter elements. They also commonly use leaf litter and other yard debris. (Image credit: batwrangler, flickr. with permission)


Small Acts, Big Impact: Helping with Global Change

By making small changes in how we manage our yards, we can create big environmental benefits—both locally and globally. Leaving the leaves isn’t just about benefiting your yard—it’s about making a difference on a global scale. Encouraging wildlife and helping to maintain a balance in the food chain is one way you are helping. By skipping the blower and rake, you also reduce fossil fuel consumption, lowering your carbon footprint. Additionally, leaves that are sent to landfills contribute to methane emissions as they decompose without oxygen. Composting them in your yard helps reduce these emissions.

If you still want to move your leaves around the yard, consider using a rake instead of a blower. Rakes are quieter, healthier for you, and don’t rely on fossil fuels. They also give you more control, allowing you to gently move the leaves without disturbing the soil or nearby wildlife. My neighbor for 17 years told me that he can rake faster than he can blow his leaves. I was dubious. At the time, my clean-up tool was a blower. However, I hated the noise and smell so I took his words as a challenge. I pulled out the rake and never looked back. I can rake faster, and with a lighter touch. I can listen to the birds and I feel stronger, fitter for doing so.

I also reduced my turfgrass lawn significantly so I can leave the leaves in place. I converted it into valuable wildlife habitat by planting native ferns and flowers. Lawns require water, fertilizer, and herbicides, not to mention mowing, which creates noise and uses fossil fuels. And lawns are wildlife dead zones. However, I still need a place to play fetch with Moira, so a small patch of “meadow” remains. I say meadow because it is green – mostly clover.

Making the most of your leaves

Here are a few simple strategies to keep them working for you. You don’t have to leave all the leaves exactly where they fall.

  • On Lawns: A thick layer of leaves can suffocate your lawn. Instead, run a mower over the leaves to chop them into smaller pieces. A thin layer (1–2 inches) of shredded leaves can actually nourish the grass over the winter, breaking down over time to feed the soil.
  • Flower or Vegetable Beds: Spread whole leaves in flower beds or vegetable gardens. They act as mulch, suppressing weeds and adding organic matter as they decompose, improving soil structure and fertility. For most garden beds, a leaf layer of 3–5 inches deep is ideal. Avoid piling leaves directly on top of plants; instead, place them around the plants, covering any exposed soil. This will suppress weeds, preserve soil moisture, and return nutrients to the roots as the leaves decompose.
  • Composting: Leaves are perfect for composting—rich in carbon and ideal for building fertile soil. Consider adding them to your compost pile or creating a leaf mold. If the wind blows leaves into unwanted areas, let nature guide them into natural piles, and then redistribute the leaves to your garden beds or around trees.

From left to right: Mower cutting leaves into small pieces instead of removing them (Image credit: Pixaby);. Moving whole leaves to help create paths by suppressing weeds (Image credit: Justin Butts). Composting excessive leaves (Image credit: Christy Bredenkamp, NC Extension Director, Moore County).

Conclusion: A Small Change with a Big Impact


With just a few thoughtful changes, as gardeners and homeowners, we have the power to make a positive impact on the environment by simply rethinking how we take care of our little piece of earth outside of our back door. This October, join the movement and Leave the Leaves—because every leaf left behind makes a difference.

Resources and Additional Information

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-5bS


Brugmansia: A Drama Queen

On By durhammastergardenersIn angel's trumpet, beneficial insects, brugmansia, devil's breath plant, Durham NC, fall blooming plants, fall gardening, garden design, gardening, gardening NC, night blooming plants, nightshades, Perennial, Poisonous plants, pollinator gardening, pollinators, solanaceae family, solanaceae fmaily, tomatoes, Uncategorized

By Marcia Kirinus, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

(Left to right) Buff colored Brugmansia gracing a home in Coimbra, Portugal. Bright orange Brugmansia, ‘Charles Grimaldi’ in Durham, NC. Pink Brugmansia beginning to open up in Durham, NC. (Image credit: Marcia Kirinus)


Brugmansia, known by some sinister common names such as Angel’s Trumpet and Devil’s Breath, embodies high drama in the plant world. With its foot-long, pendulous blooms that sway in the evening breeze and its intoxicating fragrance, it lures both humans and night-flying pollinators from mid-summer to late October. Its scent is so powerful that it has found a place in commercial perfumery. The color palette of its flowers is equally alluring, with blooms ranging from pristine whites to buff, peachy pinks, pale golds, muted oranges, and salmon. In full bloom, mature specimens put on a spectacular display, becoming the star of the garden late in the season when most things have stopped blooming.  However, these seductive flowers come wrapped in folklore, magic, and an unmistakable aura of danger.

Plant of the Night

The life cycle of Brugmansia’s flowers follows the rhythm of day and night. As the sun begins to set, its trumpet-shaped blooms unfurl, releasing a sweet and heady fragrance that fills the evening air. This gives Brugmansia another common name, the “Moonflower.” During the day, its flowers hang like sleeping bats, with their petals tightly closed, and no scent lingers. The timing of their bloom and fragrance production is under circadian control, which works well if you enjoy throwing cocktail or dinner parties on the back deck on a sultry autumn evening. It is also a welcome highlight on Halloween as trick-or-treaters come to your door and your orange Brugmansia is in full bloom. No other decoration needed!

(Left) Single orange Brugmansia planted at the front door greeting trick or treaters. It is next to a double flowered white Brugmansia. Planted below the orange tree is another plant in the same family; Nicotiana sylvestris. (Right) Single yellow flowering 30 foot Brugmansia tree on the back corner of the Melo House in Coimbra, Portugal. (Image credit: Marcia Kirinus)

Cloaked Pollinators

Placidula euryanassa.
(Image credit: Claudio Dias Timm CC BY-NC-SA)

When doing research for this article, I found conflicting information on pollinators. Most sources suggest something that flies around at night since that is when flowers open. Others say hummingbirds. Maybe all of the above depending on the species and geographical location, but it’s clear that we still don’t really know. A publication from the University of South Florida suggests that the dominant pollinators of B. suaveolens are most likely bats and night-flying moths. Butterflies also seem to play a role where B. suaveolens is a larval source for the butterfly Placidula euryanassa. Studies show that the caterpillars can consume the toxins without harm, storing the poisonous alkaloids in their bodies to ward off predators later in their life cycle.

The Weedy Side of Brugmansia

While Brugmansia’s flowers are dramatic, the plant itself can look weedy and unkempt when not in bloom. It is hardy in USDA Zones 7–10 and grows quickly, often reaching heights of 15 to 35 feet. It works well as a background shrub or small tree in garden design. Although Brugmansia is said to prefer full sun, I’ve had more success growing it in partial shade in my Durham, NC (Zone 8a) garden. Like most members of its family, Solanaceae, it likes water, which could be a reason to grow it in some shade. This plant only emerges when the soil warms, so it works well to plant spring and early summer-blooming flowers in front of it until it takes center stage in late summer through autumn.

Growing Brugmansia in My Garden

I first encountered Brugmansia on the roadsides of subtropical Brazil, growing under larger tree canopies. Its large, bell-shaped flowers in shades of white, pink, and orange captivated me instantly. Later, I saw it thriving in northern California gardens and decided to try it in my own garden in Durham, NC.

That was years ago when Durham, NC, was considered USDA Zone 7. Brugmansia is borderline hardy in Zone 7, making each winter a gamble. I eventually started planting the rootstock deeply, below the frost line, to protect it from frost. This delayed its emergence even more, but when the plant finally came up in late summer, it rewarded me with a spectacular display.

Today, I have two dependable Brugmansia plants—a double white and a single orange—that return each year. Interestingly, the orange one blooms earlier, just in time to avoid the first frost, which can otherwise cut short the flowering season. The white one is hit or miss depending on weather conditions. I hear the same from others that have these plants growing in Durham, NC. Apparently the flowers need a very long growing season to fully open.

A Freaky Family

Brugmansia is a member of the Solanaceae family. This family blurs the lines between food, poison, and magic, with plants like Solanum lycopersicum (tomato), Capsicum (pepper), Solanum tuberosum (potato), Nicotiana (tobacco), Atropa belladonna (belladonna), and Hyoscyamus niger (henbane).
The family brews a veritable chemical cauldron of both desirable and deadly compounds referred to as tropane alkaloids. These include nicotine (Nicotiana), solanine (Solanum), capsaicin (Capsicum), atropine (Atropa), scopolamine (Datura), and hyoscyamine (Hyoscyamus)—chemicals that have been used as healing drugs in small doses, misunderstood or abused as addictive substances, and used as pesticides and warfare agents (e.g., sarin) in toxic doses.

(Left to right) Other relatives of Brugmansia that belong in the Solanaceae family: Nicotiana sylvestris, tomato fruit Solanum lycopersicum, Atropa belladonna flower; Datura wrightii. (Image credit: NCSU Plant Toolbox– peganum CC-BY-SA 2.0; Böhringer Friedrich CC BY-SA 2.5; Puusterke CC BY-SA 4.0; Kenraiz CC BY-SA 4.0)


Dangerous Beauty

Every part of Brugmansia is toxic. It contains dangerous alkaloids, like scopolamine, which can induce hallucinations and, in larger doses, have fatal effects. These alkaloids have historically been used in rituals to induce altered states of consciousness or to connect with the divine.

Shrouded in Shadowy Lore

Brugmansia is steeped in mystery and legend. Its downward-pointing flowers are said to serve as a bridge to the afterlife, with folklore suggesting they can draw spirits from graves. In a haunting twist, legend has it that sleeping under a Brugmansia plant may summon angels to claim your soul before you wake. The fragrance is reputedly narcotic. How true any of the stories are is questionable but perhaps telling. Embedded in the legends are nuggets of truth around the toxicity of the plants.

Brugmansia, an intoxicating beauty with folkloric connections, makes it a fitting plant for the Halloween season. Its nocturnal habits, eerie association with spirits, and dramatic blooms bring mystery and enchantment to any garden, especially under the October moon. However, don’t forget the danger of its deadly properties. Inhale its perfume, but keep your distance—it can kill you.

Resources and Additional Information

  • Kew Gardens, University of Chicago press: A horticultural, botanical and ethnobotanical tour-de-force: the first comprehensive monograph on this genus: https://www.brugmansia.us/huanduj/

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-598