Mulching In Progress

So much mulching, so little time. The good news (for us) is that the front is done. The mailbox garden (which is bigger than you think it is!), the front beds, the tree... all done.

Mulch makes everything look so crisp and clean.

Around the tree it's important not to "volcano" the mulch, a common practice of landscapers and homeowners. 3 inches of mulch in a big circle around the base is very good for the trees... but you have to keep the mulch 3-6" away from the base of the tree. Putting thick mulch around the trunk allows pests and nasty things to get in and hurt the tree.

I also want to show off our columbines. For $2.50 each last year on special from Home Depot, they were tiny and pretty but I didn't have any expectations. This year they are just spectacular, exploding with blooms - I had no idea columbines could look like this!

Back to the mulching, in the back I didn't get very far this weekend. It was hot and we had a lot of fun family plans and things to do. I got the bed done between the driveway and patio with the trellis and vines. It looks much better than the weedy mess it was before.