“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower” – Albert Camus

Many people view autumn as a time of transition, a time of change from the light and warmth of summer to the cold and darkness of a British winter.

And, as Camus implies in the quote above, it can be a time of excitement in the countryside, with leaves changing their colour through a myriad shades of red, orange and gold, berries ripening in the hedgerow, and trees heavy with apples and pears.

However for the gardener, it is the time to pick up the leaf rake or plug in the leaf blower/vacuum and start the seemingly endless task of clearing the latest fall of leaves from the paths, gutters, lawns and flower beds.

Autumn is definitely bonfire time, the carbon-neutral way to dispose of leaves, twigs, prunings and other garden debris. But before lighting a bonfire, do be aware of local legislation and by-laws, and avoid causing an offence or hazard to neighbours and passing motorists.

Whether you are burning your garden debris and leaves in an open bonfire or constrained within an incinerator, the hardest part of the process is often getting the initial fire established. This task can be made a lot easier by using a Grenadier Electric Firelighter.

The Grenadier Firelighter’s powerful, concentrated heat can be directed onto the middle of the bonfire fuel by the built-in fan. It quickly reaches burning point, establishing the fire quickly, efficiently and easily.

Finally, which ever way you decide to dispose of the ‘autumn fall’, try to avoid disturbing drifts of autumn leaves under hedges and other out of the way areas. They could already be in use as hibernating sites by hedgehogs and other creatures.