Gardening Tips

As someone who ran a landscape business for 8 years, I thought many of you out there in Blogland would appreciate a couple of tips, especially since Spring is only a week old and already I see people putting down mulch.  Here's tip #1:  It's WAY too early to put down mulch!  Mulch works as an insulator and to put it down now is to seal in the cold and keep the sun out.  This will delay germination of some of your bulbs and perennials by two to three weeks.  From Roanoke to Williamsport and points east and west, you should wait until the average date of the last frost--about May 15-- to put down mulch.  And whatever you do, don't surround your poor trees with mulch piled so high that it looks like a little mulch volcano spewing out lava-trees.

Here's tip #2:  Don't use mulch in the first place.  It's expensive, it breaks down, and critters such as field mice and meadow voles love it.  For them, it's easy to burrow into and it's a good place to hide from predators.  Snakes tend to love mulch as well because it's warm, it's a good place for them to hide from predators, and it's also a good place for them to pick up a quick meal such as a field mouse or a meadow vole. 

Tip #3 is avoid using that weed fabric. It is expensive and worse than useless.  It will prevent your bulbs and perennials from spreading, it will cause your shrubs to root themselves too close to the soil's surface because the fabric does not allow water to penetrate as deeply, and weeds will root themselves in the mulch that you place on top.  The weed roots will then penetrate the fabric and become twice as difficult to pull.

Tip #4:  Plant ground cover such as vinca, stonecrop sedum, or any other spreading plant that suits your fancy.  They look nicer and are less expensive in the long run than mulch.  Ground cover will allow the soil to heat up naturally in the Spring, yet shade the roots of shrubs and perennials in the Summer, keeping them cooler and helping to retain moisture.

Remember, there is no such thing as "weed-proof."  If you don't believe me, look at the photograph below which shows sedum growing out of the side of a rock cliff along the C & O Canal.

Of course, you want to get out there on those first warm weekends in March and April and work those dormant muscles underneath a warming sun, but that's no excuse for mulching too early.  If you must do something, come over to my house and I'll get you to paint the outside trim.  That way, all three of us will be happy--you, your spring flowers, and me.

Comments

[Melissa Dodge]

Thanks for the tips! I'm all about having an excuse not to waste money, time, and effort! By the way--when's the best time to dig up and move shade-loving hostas to a better environment?

[Austin]

You can transplant those hostas this spring after you see some shoots coming up. Some people would say wait until fall, but I'm not that patient. Hostas are pretty hardy and I've transplanted them in the summer (but they required extra care and water then!)