Fall Mulching also pays great benefits, in that the mulch acts as a insulative barrier against the oncoming Winter cold, protecting the plants' crown and root system against freezing, or worse, pitching and heaving the plant out of its planting hole. A mere 1-2" cover is required; after the perennials are ripened-off (leaves browned and cut back to the ground), pile an extra couple of handfuls of mulch on top as protection.

Remember the "really bad Winter of 1993", when everything was covered with a blanket of snow and ice for months from the non- stop storms and the big blizzard? That covering literally acted as a themal blanket against the cold winds and the plants below the snowpack never looked better than when they bloomed in Spring of 1994. Mulching properly in the Fall acts in much the same manner. The really Smart Gardener mulches twice each season; and each for different reasons, splitting the difference in depth of mulch, rather than loading-up with four (4") inches in the Spring, as many substandard garden centers and nurseries often tell you to do. It takes almost an entire season for the bottom of the Spring mulch layer to amend the prevalent clay soils around here and become part of the soil; and by then, the Garden is ready for its Winter-prep coating.

An often-asked question is about why certain fungus appear; "vomit-like, bright yellow area" that spreads overnight. Most of this is naturally-occuring fungus coming through the mulch from underground pockets. Some, however is the mushroom compost that unscrupulous vendors mix-in as a filler, which shows their true business ethics. To find out, lift it carefully with a trowel; if the tendrils go down into the ground, it's a natural occurrence and can be eliminated with a spray bottle squirting of Clorox, but if it's resting on top of the mulch, you've got a bad load and you should give the seller hell about it. Same for artillery spore fungus; it will stain and mar a home's siding and driveway autos when it shoots its reproductive, black smutty spores .(A few squirts of Clorox will also kill it.) Then come to us for some pure Double-Shredded Premium Dark Bark Natural Mulch, with nothing added and see how well your Planted Garden does for a change.

Four inches (4") anytime is far too much. Plants can't grow in mulch, they need soil. And to snug-up that much mulch around any plant will likely kill it. Use common sense; two inches (2") is enough, twice a year, Spring and Fall.

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Another First: Hardy Cactus Rock Garden at Our Garden Center

Lifetime Quality Gardening Tools

Easy Care Houseplants For Winter

Alpine Trough Gardens

Winter Color and Fragrance

NASA's Fresh Air Houseplants Checklist

Planning This Year's Gardens

Buyers Beware: Gardening Catalogs Start Arriving

Need A Gift For A Friend?

Mulches: Myth vs Reality. Part 3: "Spring Or Fall"

Mulches: Myth vs Reality. Part 3: "Spring Or Fall"...continued

INTERESTING INFORMATION IN UPCOMING ISSUES:

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