Maple leaf mulch

Question

Good Day,
I just moved (“down sized”) from a house to an apartment. There’s no duff here like “out in the woods” were I was. The soil is baked, hard, and a little sandy (it seems). There is a small full sun strip, the other 3/4 is full shade (extremes – odd to me). I’ve been planting a few things I took from the yard of my house that just went thru foreclosure (i.e. not any money for this yard). I’ve been planting them in “natural pots” i.e. scoop out the native earth and put the plant in w/potting soil & a lill native earth). The shade is due to a huge maple and the last resident continually raked the yard.
I’ve heard maple leaves are not a good mulch. Is this true or is it that the feeder roots are too high for other plants? I’d like to plant the vinca (I’ve brought) in the sun, the pacasandrya (I brought from the home) in the shade – let it naturalize, then group some things into that setting. I’d hand remove the “maple mulch” from anything it would smother (the grouped items). Does this sound reasonable? I can’t afford trucked in mulch. I am patient and followed this procedure of ground covers and natives at my home (17 yrs.). Not sure it will work here, the 2 grnd covers came up thru anything that fell on them out in the woods & spread/prospered…
Thank you for your time and expertise.
Regards,
Chad

Answer 1

This article has information on leaf mulch.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/mulch/mulching-with-leaves.htm