The benefits of mulch

Mulching is a job that makes other garden chores easier because, as well as making your beds look neat, it does a lot of other neat things. It's hard to think of another job that gives so much garden payback.

It keeps weeds down, mainly by blocking out light they need to germinate - and if a weed manages to poke through, it's easier to pull it out when rooted in a layer of mulch than in the soil.

Conserves soil moisture by reducing evaporation, and helps prevent erosion caused by rain and wind. Bare soil often gets a crust on it that prevents rain from penetrating easily.

Moderates soil temperatures. Keeps soil cooler in summer and helps to reduce the risk of damage to plant roots in winter.

Keeps soil from splashing onto leaves, which keeps plants looking neater and helps prevent soil-borne fungal diseases.

Organic mulch adds all-important humus to the soil as it decomposes, and keeps the top layer of soil loose and airy.

Garden mulching how-to:

Depth: All you do is just layer the stuff two inches to four inches deep over bare soil around your plants.

Just don't put it right on top of perennials, and keep it from direct contact with the bark of trees and shrubs, as excess moisture right up against the bark can cause disease and rot.

When to apply: Do your mulching in spring before hot weather comes and while annual and perennial plants are still small enough to work around easily.

How to protect plants: If you happen to have a few spare one- or two-gallon nursery containers, put them over top of your plants and then you can shovel the material right onto the bed without worrying about covering your perennials. As for what to use, see your choices below.

Winter mulch: This doesn't actually keep plants warm, but maintains a more even soil temperature - a good thing in areas where winter brings alternate periods of freezing and thawing and where there isn't enough snow cover to give plants a thick insulating blanket.

Boughs cut from your Christmas tree also make good winter covering, and have the added bonus of trapping insulating snow that might otherwise blow away.

Organic mulch - best bets

Perhaps the strangest mulch I ever saw was a wine corks spread all over a flowerbed. It worked just fine - cork is a natural biodegradable material eventually. But I'm sure the gardeners' neighbors speculated about their drinking habits.

Tried and true mulching materials:

Bark or shredded wood chips: Available shredded or in small or large chips, it's excellent under trees and shrubs. Finely shredded cedar mulch is also nice on flower beds.

Cocoa bean hulls: Good for flower gardening. Will make garden smell like chocolate at first, but the scent fades quickly. It can get moldy if you lay it on too thick - don't add more than two inches. It's very light and can blow away. I find that watering after spreading helps keep it in place. Avoid using if you have a dog who might chew and eat it, as chocolate can make dogs quite sick.

Compost: Plants love compost, but unless you can purchase it or have a huge compost pile, it's hard to have enough on hand. When I use compost this way, I use about an inch or so, and top it with another material such as leaves or straw because compost can be a fertile launching pad for weed seeds.

Grass clippings: When fresh, they have high moisture and nitrogen content and can get smelly. The solution: apply a thin layer. Don't use when grass is going to seed, otherwise it can germinate in your beds to create a grassy weed problem.

Fall leaves: Nature's favorite - great masses of them are free in fall. They're best used chopped - otherwise they can mat and stop air and water movement into the soil. To chop, use a leaf shredder, drive your lawn mower over them or put them in a sturdy plastic garbage container and chop with your weed eater. Use them over winter or save in bags or in a pile to use in spring.

Bark and hardwoods mixed to produce the cleanest mulch in northern Illinois. Bulk mulch delivered and or installed.Several colors of landscaping mulch available.

• Deliver 50 - 70 cubic yard loads
• Direct Deliveries
• Available year round