With spring right around the bend, you may have begun planning which perennials and annuals to plant in your garden beds. Before you make your final plant purchases, I recommend you add mulch to the list.

Mulch should be placed in all of your perennial and annual plant beds. Don’t forget your trees and shrubs. They deserve a little TLC as well! Be sure to place mulch in rings around your trees and shrub plant beds at least three feet wide. Mulch should not cover the stems, trunks, or crowns. If not done properly, applying mulch can cause pest damage and rotting.

There are many types of mulch you can find at your local home improvement store or landscaping supplier. However, there is a more environmentally friendly option that is also more economical! You can create a homegrown Compost or Mulch, which we call Humus, by laying old leaves and shredded small branches in a pile and continuously mixing and rotating this home grown compost. It may surprise you to know that Humus balances the ph of your soil and stimulates plant growth. Before you begin planting this spring, make sure you have mulch or Humus purchased and ready for your spring sprucing up!