I have this dream.  In it I weed the whole garden, work organic Plantone fertilizer around every plant, then top it all off  with beautiful new mulch.   And while all this work is going on in my dream–time stands still.  No weeds regrow. Nothing else demands my attention.  No bad weather, no setbacks or vacations as I check these March jobs off my list. 

Yea right–in your dreams for sure.  I have never completed these spring garden jobs and I never will.  So a big thanks to blog-partner Melissa and her wake up call comment to my post about weeding.  I should never weed with out a big load of mulch standing by.   Otherwise the weeds will regrow before I get back to them.  And the cycle starts all over again. 

Money well spent. Mulch supresses weeds, saves water and keeps roots cool--

So I went to my favorite mulch source, American Soil and Much on Highway 55 in Cary and filled up the truck bed with triple shredded pine bark.  This mulch is light, looks good, easy to move and spread.  In two afternoons, my truck was empty and the gardens looked so much better. 

Is the whole yard done?  No.  Will it every be?  Probably not.   But Melissa’s wise comment forced me to do another important garden chore–prioritize.  Too many years of multi-tasking have made me really bad at this.  But with a truck load of mulch in the drive, I made some tough choices–

  • I started closest to the house.  It’s my most viewed bed.  It should get the best treatment.
  • Next I weeded, fertilized and mulched the spring and summer perennial bed.   They have the most growing to do now.
  • Then, I mulched new plantings.  Newly turned soil is a weed factory.  I will save myself  lots of  work by piling on the mulch early.    I’m going to buy some more mulch and set it aside for the spring plantings to come. 
  • And  I’m  going to let some stuff go.  Hard for me–but  I’m not worrying about the woods this year.  Plantings should become less formal and labor intensive as you move away from the house. Shredded leaves are ok for the shrubs and wildflowers in the woods.  
  • And finally, it’s better to have two or three finished beds, than half a dozen unfinished ones.  Looks better, feels better, grows better.  Thanks for the reality check, Melissa.  You made my flowers happy.

Garden before--

And after--Mulch makes everything look better

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