Chinta -- that is my style too!! The less work the better -- I do have a daylily garden I get into in the spring to rake out the dead stuff if I dont get it in the fall... but leaves as you said make a great cover for the little guys in the winter!!
"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously."
2 Corinthians 9:6