13-04-2004, 04:32 AM
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Will leaves falling in my mulch be a problem?
From: Tom Randy
Date: Mon, Apr 12, 2004 6:35 PM
Message-id:
On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 13:47:38 -0400, lbbs wrote:
We have lots of perennial flowers in our flower bed. (12 different
varieties or so- including bushes and roses, 15'x6' aprox garden) My
wife was thinking of putting mulch between the flowers so the weeds would
not grow (easier maintenance). I was not sure if that would be a good
idea for two reasons. 1. when the leave accumulate in the fall time
in our flower bed, it will be difficult to get rid of them (hard to get
a
rake in there). With dirt flower bet, what ever you can't rake out,
it
will decompose with the rest of the dirt. And if you leave them in with
the mulch, seeds will start growing there next year. 2. will
perennial flowers be able to poke through the mulch every spring time?
I
always thought that mulch is more ideal it you have a simple flower bed
or around a tree truck. what do yo think? thanks
Perennials and bulbs will grow right up through mulch no problem. As for
the leaves you can *gently* rake most of them out, the remaining will do
no
harm but will actually do more good. Rotted leaves are a great soil
amendment. I mulch up and dig in some in my flower beds every fall. By
spring they are just about all rotted and composted.
Really, that can depend on the kind of leaves. The only trees that drop their
leaves on my garden beds and borders are the surrounding neighbors' silver
maples. These are NOT good to leave on the beds over the winter. They don't
break down quickly, they turn into a hard, compacted, slimey mess that
interferes with drainage, etc. I remove all the maple leaves from the beds in
the autumn, and replace them (where needed) with dry oak leaves that I gather
dozens of bags-full from my neighborhood leaf piles (and that I use for
composting as well). The maple leaves I haven't cleared away around the garden
edges and shrubs are (as I type this) lying in solid, tough layers not even
remotely on their way to decomposition. The oak leaf winter mulches are
fluffy, permeable, and breaking down nicely.
Best.
Tyra
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