There’s little that can be done in the garden that will save you as much time and energy as mulching.  Mulching provides a protective layer around your plants that helps retain moisture, prohibits weed growth and prevents the erosion of vital nutrients and soil.

 Though it can be done any time of the year, late Spring is the perfect time to apply your mulch, as too early an application can actually slow the warming of the soil.  May and June in my Mother’s garden becomes a workfest of intensive labor.  Truckloads of mulch are imported and painstakingly layered over the beds which have been meticulously raked clean of all debris.  I, on the other hand, leave the bulk of plant matter dried in the winter, clipping and crunching it up to become the first layer of my Spring mulch.

Both of us, however are firm believers in leaf mulch.  While she also uses some pine needles and hardwood chips, we both know that leaf mulch is the only mulch that contributes nutrients to the soil.  While it’s often sold locally under the name compost, it doesn’t contain anything but crushed up leaves.  A wide variety of materials are available for mulching from landscaping fabric, plastic sheets and shredded rubber, to rocks or crushed stone to tree products like hardwood chips, pine needles and leaves.  Each has benefits and drawbacks. 

Often, aesthetics are the basis of mulch selection and many of the natural products have added dyes to increase their visual appeal.  However, some mulches can actually deplete the soil by robbing it of valuable nitrogen as it breaks down or wicking its moisture.  Plastics and rock can be hard to work with as you add new plants, though they are the most permanent solutions.  Less visually appealing mulches like straw can be used in vegetable gardens.  Grass clippings can also be applied to the garden as a mulch, though it should be left to dry in another spot as not only will it deplete the soil of nitrogen when it begins to break down, it releases enough heat to damage plants.  Once it is decomposing it makes a great mulch though or can be added to your compost pile to enhance it.  However, don’t remove all your clippings as your lawn will also appreciate them.

Mulch should be applied at least three inches thick, but not more than six.  One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing trees with a tiny circle of mulch piled on the trunk.  I would steer away from any landscape company that uses this practice as it seriously calls into question their expertise.  Always pull your mulch back away from trunks and plant stems.  Leaving it touching the plants highly increases the likelihood of them being attacked by pests and diseases.  Also, the application should cover as much of the root system as possible.  For flower gardens this means covering the entire bed, for trees a six foot ring should be minimum. 

I always start mulching with a layer of newspapers which also contributes to the soil.  In the past I’ve purchased leaf mulch to top it off.  Last year, I made one of my favorite purchases, a mini wood chipper.  The Privet hedge along my driveway as well as various other trees and shrubs in the yard provide a constant supply of mulch and compost material year round.  Though the bulk is done in the Spring, I continue to add mulch to my beds all season long.

Kim’s love of gardening was instilled in her by her mother who creates pristine, lush landscaping worthy of a botanical garden using by the book methodology and sweat equity.  Kim achieves positive results cultivating more naturalized, informal gardens with techniques involving the least amount of energy, time and money feasible.  Learn about both their techniques throughout the month in the Lifestyle section at Amplifier.BGDailyNews.com