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Edging and Mulching

Now that the leaves are getting raked up, the frost-burned annuals yanked out, and the bulbs planted, I like to edge and mulch the gardens for a finishing touch before winter.

For gardens that don't have Belgian blocks, pressure-treated wood, bricks, or stones for a border; edging is helpful. It separates the garden from the lawn. Using an edger or a sharp shovel, make a trench about 2-3 inches deep and about 3 inches wide across the top bordering the entire garden. Push your edger down into the ground and toss the soil back into the garden. Keep overlapping every time your edger goes in to form a straight line. The resulting trench should be "V" shaped. Edging helps collect run-off water and to a point will keep aggressive perennials out of your lawn. Don't be afraid to give your garden a shape. Kidney shapes are very popular - they tend to flow nicely with a garden. I have a friend who was very disappointed to find that the new shape her landscaper was so excited about installing in her front yard actually looked like a giant dog bone from her upstairs window. A little thought does need to go into this.

After your new and exciting shape has been formed and properly edged, it is time to apply your favorite mulch. Cedar and pine seem to be the most popular; though every year there are more varieties to choose from. From time to time, I will use marble chip to help brighten and attract sunlight to very shady areas. Marble chip does not breakdown the way wood mulches do and does not make the soil more acidic the way wood does. Though it can sweeten the soil. Mulch from evergreens (pine, cedar, hemlock..) is good for acid loving plants. Be cautious when using mulch from recently shredded live trees that were taken down. The trees may have been removed due to disease which you want to avoid passing down to your soil. If the trees were still green, this "green" mulch will still try to absorb nutrients from the soil depriving your plants. When applying mulch, I usually go 1-2 inches high; sometimes higher if it is an extremely troublesome, weedy area. Avoid letting the mulch actually touch the base of your plants. I leave enough of a ring around the plants to allow water to still get in. It's important that wet mulch does not sit against bark causing disease and rot. Mulch keeps your soil moist-protecting the roots, keeps out weeds and gives your garden a nice, finished touch.

10/24/99