Spring Work – The Power of Mulch

While we wait for temperatures to improve so that we eager gardeners can go outside to dig in the dirt and plant, there are still lots of jobs that can get done. It is no secret that to have some beautiful landscaping around the exterior of your home, it takes a little elbow grease, time and in our case, MULCH! 

To pass the time before those plants go in the ground, I begin to cleaning out my flower beds around the end of April. I put on those gardening gloves and start out by removing old and dead plant material, creating a nice clean space and helping to grow new growth! 

Edge control is weed control! Not only does edging around your flower beds make it look nice but it also acts as a natural weed control. It prevents other plant materials from creeping into your beds. A distinct edging line will also act a crevice to hold your mulch material and not have it spill into the lawn or onto a walkway. 

While edging can create great weed control, nothing will work quite like the power of mulch. A mulch in the color of your choice will help to suppress and weeds that may try to invade your space. Any weeds that do make their way through this powerful barrier will be weaker and easier to remove. 

A light annual layer of mulch can also help to keep moisture in the soil and therefore more available to your plants. The decomposition of the mulch annual will act as great compost and add vital nutrients to your soil to ensure the perennial or annual plants have continued success. 

The best part of a mulch application? It really only takes one per year! One light application of mulch of year (after an initial larger one) will give you all of the above benefits. While gardening is a fun activity, sometimes we can use items like mulch, to be a helper not only to the plants but also to ourselves!