This is encouraging! I'm using leaves a lot this year, and have some things I am a bit concerned about in the cold -- they are mulched quite thickly with leaves I've collected, instead of straw, and so from your experience it sounds like this is a better way to protect them.

Spring will tell the tale but it's sure nice to feel positive about it in the meantime.

I love using mulched leaves in my bed. It protects from the cold. Come spring I will use bark mulch on top and to help hold water in during our hot summer. By using the leaves, I need less mulch as the mulched leaves have built up the beds.

When I lived in MD, I raked all my leaves into my flower beds. When I'd remove the leaves in Spring, I was always amazed by how much was already up. I even kept Cannas in the ground, against my brick foundation. They were usually up higher than the leaves by the time I got out to remove the leaves.
Then I'd mulch the leaves in Spring & use to amend the beds for the new growing season.

Nice article, Bonnie! This works for the arctic winters in Minnesota...the only thing I have ever used for winter protection are the fallen leaves from my yard. I remove them in the spring and compost them. Works like a charm, it's free, and environmentally sound.