How To Get Leaves Out of Thick Ground Cover

Gently rake the top of the ground-cover bed. Don't go too deep, as the rake will catch on the ground-cover leaves and stems and potentially damage the plants. A lightweight plastic rake will help you remove what is sitting on the top of the ground cover.

Blow through the ground cover with a leaf blower. The plants shouldn't be adversely affected by the forced air. Doing this after you rake everything sitting on the ground cover will make the blowing more efficient. You won't be blowing mounds of leaves into the ground cover, just removing what was below the canopy.

Pick up leaves as they accumulate as you blow, either by blowing them to an area where there is no ground cover or by picking them up with the rake. Otherwise you will be creating a bottleneck of leaves that gets stuck in certain areas.

Pick up leaves regularly to prevent such a major task. Getting leaves out weekly will greatly reduce the time and effort of removing leaves from the ground cover. Consider using a net or tarp to catch leaves during the fall, when the most leaves will drop in a short period.