Many have spent a good amount of their hard earned money to install, update and maintain their planting beds not to mention the amount of time some have spent too. Don't let it all go to waste because it's cold outside and you're inside.
A nice layer of mulch for the winter will go a long way for the health and protection of you prized plants. As the cold air comes in it brings with it much dryer air. Any moisture left in the ground will slowly evaporate which can stress your plant's roots. A 2"-3" layer of mulch will help the soil to retain the moisture helping your plants that much more for the winter months ahead. As we all know, our winter weather here in South Jersey has been unpredictable. Between the 30 degree days and the 60 degree days out plants are confused. They're not sure if it's winter or spring. Another positive aspect of mulching your beds for the winter is if we have a warm day or two in the middle of the winter, the mulch will act as insulation for the roots of the plants. This will keep the ground cool from the warm sun and prevent the plants from wanting to begin budding.
Winter doesn't have to be blah, without color. Aside from a well designed bed, which we will cover in a future article, the easiest project to freshen up the yard and add some vitality is mulch. Whether you like red, black or a deep chocolate brown, fresh mulch will do the trick.
So brighten up the yard while protecting plants, and make winter a little more colorful.
EDEN Garden Design & Landscaping will provide you with a free estimate for mulching which includes weeding and re-edging you beds.