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Mulching

dave.stephen49dave.stephen49 Posts: 9
in Problem solving

I am new to gardening and have just figured out the difference between mulch and compost. I am starting to think ahead to winter, last year in NE Scotland it was relatively mild and all my plants survived through luck. This year i plan on mulching, i understand that most perennials will die back to below the surface. When mulching do i do so around the plant before it dies back or wait until it dies back and cover it completely?. 

Posts

  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 37,905

    Once the plants have died back and it looks like its going to be a hard Winter you can cover them up but you can also mulch now around the plant .

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • dave.stephen49dave.stephen49 Posts: 9

    Thanks for the response, any idea about caryopteris?, They are supposed to be fully hardy but a bit borderline, being a shrub they dont die back all the way, just mulch around them?

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    what are you mulching with? the caryopteris won't like anything that makes it too wet.

    If you mulch now on dry soil, unless you get really heavy prolonged rain, it will be absorbed by the mulch and the soil will stay dry.

    Plants that disappear in winter can be mulched over but those that have some leaves in winter won't like it.

    Plants that like hot dry conditions won't want to be mulch with manure.

    this is my theory-of mulch. Others may do it differently



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • bulkerbbulkerb Posts: 258

    my answer to your question would be both based on that some of your plants such as phlox will be cut to the ground with little or nothing showing and a rose where lots will be showing and there fore you will only be covering the root system either way unless they are irises then you should not worry to much as when it is time the plant will push away the mulch/compost

    also if you know the difference between mulch and compost you will know that there is very little difference in nutrients for the plants what you are ultimately doing is keeping the plants under ground temperature warmer as normally any thing below 4 inches is very well protected hope this helps Lester

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Verd - 'plant where it is as warm as possible and as free draining as possible' ....

    It's Scotland the boy's in, remember....image  image

    Good luck Dave. If it's reasonably sheltered, and the ground's well enough drained, you might get away with it. The last couple of winters haven't been too bad but we're due another hefty one soon up here I think. Cold is ok, it's the cold, wet soil that's the problem for those particular plants.  

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Never grown it myself, but the north east tends to be slightly colder and drier than here in the west. It's one of those plants that you can try but it may not be brilliant long term.  image

    I reckon it's like lavender-  if you can give it enough drainage and light it does ok in some areas. They usually like similar conditions IMO. 

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Joyce21Joyce21 Posts: 15,489

    Yes caryopteris will grow in Scotland in free draining soil and hold off pruning until late spring.

    SW Scotland
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