Using leaf mould as a mulch and soil improver

Hi all,
So I want to use up my leaf mould and start a new pile...but I’ve a few questions.
The front garden is the Garden of Desolation and the first target; under a huge old tree, has its own cherry tree, mature shrubs, but the soil isnt great and so far nothing I’ve added has thrived. I’m assuming leaf mould is a good idea but I wonder if it hasn’t had decades of leaves going into it already?
Will leaf mould help?
Dig it in or lay it as a mulch?
If I do lay a mulch...How do I get all the new leaves off without removing the leaf mould I’m putting down?
Am I overthinking this?
Cheers,
TP
So I want to use up my leaf mould and start a new pile...but I’ve a few questions.
The front garden is the Garden of Desolation and the first target; under a huge old tree, has its own cherry tree, mature shrubs, but the soil isnt great and so far nothing I’ve added has thrived. I’m assuming leaf mould is a good idea but I wonder if it hasn’t had decades of leaves going into it already?
Will leaf mould help?
Dig it in or lay it as a mulch?
If I do lay a mulch...How do I get all the new leaves off without removing the leaf mould I’m putting down?
Am I overthinking this?
Cheers,
TP
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Posts
Nollie - I won’t be leaving the leaves (ba boom) on top. They’re going the new leaf pile tucked beside the shed. 👍
Monty talks about 4-6” of mulch but that would spill out into the street so probably about half as deep as that, mold and compost.
Havent decided whether to do it manually with a narrow leaf rake or get an electric blower/vacuum which might help with my drains blocking too.
Come spring, when the soil is still moist, plant some lovely epimediums and hardy cyclamens and maybe a hardy fern or two - all good plants for dry shade in woodland glades.
Are all the trees and shrubs deciduous, or are there any evergreens? You can always do a wee bit of selective pruning to get more light in, and that might help rain get in more easily too. That will give you a bit more scope for your planting.
Even hardy geraniums will often cope well once established, in addition to the suggestions already given.
Ive posted pictures of the front before but omitted the rather obvious key feature - the huge tree in the street. Theres no clipping I can do. My cherry tree pales into insignificance beside it, although I have mopped that back significantly.
So this is an old photo, I’ve replaced the fence and decapitated the smaller cherry in the bottom left.
Now from this angle it looks quite nice
But I had to water constantly and replace dead plants to keep it nice, and around the cherry tree the dogwoods don’t seem to be thriving:
It it is a lot better than it used to be in 2016 though!
Im also thinking of trying ferns next year.