Xref: news7 rec.gardens:222621

The standard advice I always read is that iris should not be mulched. I
understand the reasoning behind it, but I don't find in workable in my
garden. Without mulch, I get weeds. I have a large and diverse garden, and
a lot of other interests, and I don't want to spend a lot of time weeding
the iris (or anything else!). I have a personal preference against chemical
solutions, so that's out....That leaves me with mulch. I use a high quality
hardwood *bark* mulch, NOT shredded wood, or "hardwood mulch", or ground up
packing pallets dyed red or black, or any other kind of crappy mulch that
packs together and rots too fast.

With bark mulch, applied about two inches thick, I get good weed control and
erosion control. And the irises do just fine; they don't suffer from rot
and they bloom well. It works for me.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"Kipper" wrote in message
...
Since no one replied to my question, I'll ask again....I have an iris bed
that I have just cleaned up and weeded nicely. Is there a good way to
keep
the weeds out, I know not to cover the plants too much, so how can I mulch
to keep it neat. Advise, please.....
Karen