We are Mulch Ready for Winter to be Over!

Mulch Ado About Nothing

Yes, mulch as we make fun of it, it is the time of year to think about it. It’s not a bad word. It’s just one of “those” words. You don’t want to read or talk about mulch, but it is a fact of a gardener’s life. Maybe you don’t want your two-year-old to learn the word yet, but it’s not a punishable offense.

Let’s get to it, shall we? 

Cleanup of Last Year’s Mulch

That mulch is true; your mulch has been around a while. It’s been at least a whole year, and maybe mulch more than that. Some of it is practically dust!

So, please clean it up. First, remove the old mulch from all bedding areas. The trees will have mulch to say about this, too; they are looking forward (as much as trees can look forward) to having new mulch around their roots. The mulch under the hedge and bushes look a little dusty, too. 

Spring is Almost Sprung!

It’s almost time for spring cleanup, anyway. Look along the bottom of your fencing. The famous winds of the plains have been doing their job of sweeping all before them. While using the rake to get access to the mulch, get rid of the fence trash as well.

Look around! There’s a paper napkin ready to take flight! Someone must be cooking out early this spring! 

Leaves and mulch go together, don’t they? There are a lot of areas where the leaves that were raked in the fall have been added to the mulch – especially where there are delicate plants that had to be protected from root to flower. The leaves helped to pile it higher and deeper.

While you’re at it, rake the lawn as well. The mulch of the lawn has a fine layer of grass clippings from the last mow of the fall. It helped protect the grass and keep it at a constant temperature as the winter weather fluctuated.

Besides, a mulch of the cleaning will enable you to see problems, like snow mold, flowers that didn’t make it through the wildly fluctuating weather, broken branches and leaves, and bugs.

Step Lively!

Spring is coming, and you might have to replace some plantings. Some plants and flowers don’t like the cold, no matter how to mulch you insulate them.

Some of the bricks or paving stones in your hardscaping ( paths, patios, outdoor living pavement, etc.) may have experienced frost heaves with the constant weather changes. They might have to be reset if they were set in a sandy matrix instead of cement.

Oh! Do you have lawn care people who also did your landscaping and outdoor living area? Yes, Divine Lawns, they do great work, don’t they? 

Go ahead call them for the spring cleanup of your landscaping. They installed most of it and will be happy to be involved in its maintenance.

Mulch Interesting Decisions

Now that your yard and landscape have had a good cleanup, it’s time to make some decisions. 

Does your grass look and feel healthy? Have you looked for patches of snow mold? If there is snow mold, remember to ask your Divine Yards gurus to do the repairs that might be needed.

Have you tested your sprinklers and irrigation? Maybe your landscape guys can test it, and they’ll be able to tell you what needs repair and what is good to go.

Hmmm… want to go to the garden shop? 

Fantasy Land (AKA Your Local Garden Shop

Did you invite your Divine consultant to go to the garden shop with you? The Divine team will be able to advise you about what will work in your garden, what needs to be replaced in the whole yard, and how much mulch you need, along with other landscaping stuff.

• Flowers. Some of them didn’t make it through the winter, so this year, plan on planting hardier flowers or dig them up before winter and put them into pots. They can then be moved to a controlled environment.
• Bulbs. Well, we forgot to dig them out and store them, didn’t we? Hmmm? They can be replaced, but let’s remember when we’re getting other plants ready for winter storage, the bulbs need to be gathered, too.
• Fruit trees. They are probably doing fine, but don’t make any decisions until you actually see buds or flowers. Luckily, many fruit trees need a cold spell to blossom and fruit up.
• Bushes, shrubs, and hedges. We will leave the decisions about those being replaced to our landscape partners at Divine. They know what they’re doing.

Take a lap around the tools, pots, and garden shoes. See what you might need, what you will need later, and what you just plain old want. Think about the tools you already have, and replace the ones you think are too damaged or rusted to be revived. You might decide you need a garden gnome or fairy garden. And, yes, choose a pair of garden shoes.

Mulch Ado About Everything

And there we are. We are faced with seeming acres of bags of mulches. So many different kinds! Some are mixed with organic fertilizers or pesticides. There’s a stack made from recycled tires! A lot is made from different kinds of bark. There are different textures and even different scents to choose from, all in one place.

Colors! Lots of colors! Your Divine advisor mentioned that you might want to change the color of your mulch this year. It could match or contrast with the color of your house, or choose something that would just look cool. You can even mix them up so that the colors appear kind of random when the mulch is placed.

Your Divine advisor will be happy to give you advice about what organic compounds you might need and how to apply it or mix it with your mulch.

It’s all mulch too mulch, but so exciting – and ends with a lawn that isn’t just special, but Divine!