To mulch or not
jjmurphy
Posts: 2
I live in western No. Carolina about 3000' above sea level (near the blue ridge mts). The climate is very wet at times in spring and fall. Winters are generally fairly mild, we usually get only a few days with temps below freezing and the temp. in summer is moderate. The land where I am trying to establish an "English garden" (filled with flowering plants) goes down a fairly steep hill. Is it best NOT to mulch between plants so they can spread and self sow or do I need to plant everything myself? Previously the entire hill (except for a few flowering bushes and a couple of small trees) was completed covered in hardwood mulch. About 1/2 of the garden area is in shade, while the other 1/2 gets mid-morning til early afternoon full sun. I started this garden last summer and mulched around everything but I think that might have been a mistake. Please advise.
Posts
Im a big fan of mulching, but it really depends on what you mean by English garden, is it a very loose sort of cottage garden effect you are looking for, with lots of random self seeded plants? If so i would be quite tempted to leave the mulching for a year or two and just selectively weed the things you dont want.
If the soil condition and fertility isnt a worry and you arent concerned about keeping the weeds down, then no need to bother with mulch all over, maybe just mulch around newly planted things to give them a head start
Thanks for the responses. I will take what you both are saying into consideration when I start working outside in a few months.