Mulch...important things to know

I'm probably one of the few people you will meet who does actually enjoy spreading mulch.  Be it either the 5 cubic yards delivered to my driveway or picking it up bag by bag at the local garden center.  Something about the smell, feel and texture of mulch makes me a happy girl.

I've been on somewhat of a crusade  for a few years now.  My mission to share the proper way to mulch a tree.  Came across this diagram today on a Master Gardener site.  "Volcano Mulching" is a NO NO!

I'm not sure what started the piling up of mulch around the base of a tree.

"Was the landscaper just not willing to dig to the appropriate depth for the tree to be planted?" 

" Did someone start the trend thinking that trees with a giant hill of mulch was attractive? "

" Maybe they thought the tree was afraid to show a little "knee" and should be covered? "

Anyway you look at it, the run off of water and the suffocating of the root structure are a terrible way to to treat the beautiful trees in our landscapes.  Save your self some time and effort, flatten out the mulch, give the tree a slight doughnut (who doesn't love a Donut?) and keep the water going to the roots and let the trees knees show a bit.

This is the time of year I start planning out my mulch purchases.  Many of the local mulch retailers give great discounts if you pre-plan your mulch delivery.  Check out Tiffany Lawn and Garden they were offering great discounts this week due to the Flower and Patio Show.  I've also used Greendell. In the past they assisted with a large mulch supply for my former HOA and they have specials for Church programs. There is also GreenCycle they are taking the yard waste and other items that would normally be headed to the city dump and composting it into a usable product.


Composting... that will be tomorrow's blog.


A word of caution:  get your mulch from a reputable source, mulch that is properly composted.