Many homeowners new to the world of outdoor plants fail to understand the part of mulch and the importance it plays in the landscape around flowers, trees, shrubs and plants. It does not matter what kind of landscaping or gardening is your passion: container gardening, flower or vegetable gardening, or planting trees and bushes, putting mulch around garden beds helps plants and you in a number of ways.

Conserving Water

Putting mulch around plants and flowers will help conserve water use. By mulching the area around the bushes, flower beds, trees and other spots in the landscape, you not only help protect plants during the hot, strong summer sun, mulch also helps keep the soil under the mulch moist for longer periods of time.

Weed Control

Mulching around plants and flower beds will help keep down or prevent weeds from growing and taking over flowerbeds. My rule is “No weeds for no seeds for no seeds for no weeds.” Mulch keeps the sun from reaching the soil and help stop weed seeds from sprouting. Weeds can grow easily around the base of flowers and plants with mulch down weeds have a much more difficult time growing. Plus the few weeds that do sprout can be pulled or removed with little effort.

Cold Protection

Mulch works during the summer months keeping moisture in and during the winter in areas that freeze by insulating the plant and roots. The important part is to put down a thick layer of mulch around the base of plants when you live in an area that freezes each winter. With a thick enough layer of mulch, it may be possible to prevent some tropical plants from freezing and dying from the cold weather.

Mulch for Beauty Alone

Mulch can also serve as another layer to enhance the beauty and provide and element of sophistication to garden beds too.

Variety of Mulch for the Landscape

There are so many materials that can be used for mulching the landscape. Wood chips are an excellent organic material along with shavings, or pine bark. Wood being an organic material will slowly break down over time and help build the soil. This will provide more nutrients for future plants.

Dried leaves which fall from the trees or grass clippings from the lawn also make excellent natural materials to use in mulching plants and flowers another is straw and hay. Just like the wood products these organic materials, will contribute to the overall richness and fertility of your soil as they breakdown.

Some people go for mulch materials that will last for many more years and some popular ones include plastic, and rubber material made from recycled tires.

Rocks and stones can be used as mulch also. The key is covering the exposed soil to retain moisture and prevent weed growth. However, mulch has been traditionally used to both protect the plants and flowers while also enriching the soil.

Do not underestimate the use of mulch and budget for it as part of the landscape cost.