Parks and gardens look amazing in Autumn as the weather conditions change and the leaves change colour before they drop off the trees. Unfortunately, clearing leaves from the garden including driveways, paths and patios can be an arduous task. Just when you think you have it under control, a fresh batch of leaves drop to the ground and you feel like you need to start again!

Battery leaf blowers

Here are some great tips for cleaning up leaves quickly and with as little hassle as possible.

Centralise and collect leaves the smart way

Bringing together leaves into one or more piles makes picking up leaves much easier and quicker. The bigger the pile the easier it is to pick up as many leaves as possible in one go.

There are various ways to pick up the leaves. The basic way is to use a rake, pushing leaves against it while lifting the pile up into a bag. Using a tarp or some other form of ‘blanket’ is also a great way. Blowing or raking leaves onto the tarp means that they can be lifted easily into a bag or container.

The best way to collect leaves is using a blower vac such as the Stihl SH56C. This petrol blower vac has a built-in shredder which cuts up leaves, reducing the amount of garden waste. Doing it this way also means less back pain bending down to pick up leaves as well as needing fewer bags or composter space to store the leaves.

You can find out more about the Stihl SH56C petrol leaf blower and vac on our website.

Get the timing right – when should you clear fallen leaves from your garden?

It’s easy to spend a lot of time clearing leaves if you are determined to make sure the garden is as clear as possible of leaves, but the fact is that leaves don’t all fall off a tree in one day or overnight. There’s no single answer for how long it takes for leaves to fall off a tree as it depends on factors such as the weather changes and the type of tree, but it can typically take from 2-4 days to a couple of weeks. Once leaves start to fall, we recommend waiting a couple of days before starting to clean up. In most cases, a majority of the leaves will have fallen by then. You may want to do a full clean-up 2-3 times during the October/November period.

Stihl SH86 - garden vacuumsUse a Blower Vac to speed things up


Raking leaves can be a lot of hard work and the need to constantly remove leaves from a rake so that it can work properly means the task can take even longer. At John Miller Garden Machinery, we offer a great range of leaf blowers and vacs that will dramatically reduce the time it takes to pick up leaves - resulting in a better-looking garden in less time!

Leaf blowers allow you to blow large amounts of leaves into neat piles ready to be collected or shredded and sucked up using the vac feature (note: not all blowers have the vac feature. Check with us or our website first before ordering).

Leaf blowers also have the ability to clear borders without damaging any plants or vegetation that you have. Using a rake increases the risk of tearing or pulling at surrounding plants as you try to remove as many leaves as possible from the border - including the leaves that have nestled in under or next to plants!

We also recommend using the right leaf blower for the size of your garden. Large gardens, for example, are best kept clean and free of leaves with the Stihl SH86C petrol leaf blower and vac.

Helpful tip for what to do with fallen leaves

After you have collected fallen leaves from your garden in the Autumn you can shred them and use the shredded leaves as a mulch to put on the beds in the spring.

Gutter cleaning kitsLeaves in your gutter? use Gutter Cleaning Kits!

Also, Stihl do a gutter cleaning kit, which is a long tube which bends at the end to blow the leaves out of the gutter - have a look at this gutter cleaning kit available to buy from us online.

Find your perfect solution

Visit our online shop and to explore our full range of leaf blowers and vacs. If you have any questions about the best practices for keeping your garden clear of leaves and looking great, do get in touch. We are always happy to help.