ᐅ Protection from leaves and needles for house perimeter/splash guard – are there any solutions?

Hello everyone,

We have been living in our single-family home, which is surrounded by many trees, for two years now, so this is our second autumn here.
We have a border around the house made of basalt rubble – and this is where my small problem or rather my question begins!

Almost daily, many needles and leaves get caught in the border, which are difficult to remove with a hand broom. Admittedly, this is not really a problem, but it’s also not very attractive.

Is there any (temporary) product for the autumn months that prevents this? I’m thinking of something like a net or similar that can simply be swept off. Unfortunately, Google didn’t turn up anything.

Is anyone else bothered by this, or do you just let the debris decompose there?

Looking forward to your input.

David

Hello David!
Our neighbor always borrows a device from the settlers' association at the beginning of December (similar to a handheld vacuum cleaner).
With it, he can blow away dry leaves and needles or suction them into a collector during dry weather. The suction power can be adjusted to prevent stones from the basalt gravel from being collected.
Such devices are certainly also available for purchase at hardware stores.

This infernal device, crafted as if by the devil, goes by the fitting names leaf blower or leaf vacuum and can be found in every hardware store...

Thank you for your input. I hadn’t really considered a leaf blower before. Until now, I had dismissed it as one of those loud and ineffective garden tools.

David

I also use a leaf blower for splash protection. It works wonderfully. Where it doesn’t work is on our small area with fine/lighter stones. There, the stones get sucked up as well. If I turn the blower’s power down a bit, unfortunately the leaves/needles are not picked up. I am still looking for a solution for this area.

My mother-in-law is gently sweeping the splash guard around her house with a very fine, lightweight hand broom, doing it with care. However, this is probably not recommended to imitate.

I would also use a leaf blower. If necessary, and if it’s only a manageable area, a regular adjustable vacuum cleaner for debris can work. The other way around actually works even better: gently blowing the leaves and needles away with a soft air stream. But you have to be pretty quick if rain is expected.