Mulch for Gardens in Hot Areas

My friends are always admiring my flower garden, but can't seem to get theirs to grow. Here goes the only key to a happy garden in the south and other hot places - mulch, mulch, mulch, and water!

But under the mulch, I add an old sheet, blanket or piece of material before I put my mulch down. No, I don't buy the store bought kind of stuff, because the ones I mentioned are less expensive and easier to work with. An old sheet will last for 2 - 3 years and the store bought stuff tears apart because, in the fall, I turn over the whole thing and put new leaves, straw, bark, or mulch on the same material.

Putting the new mulch on top of material and old under, is the easiest way to kill weed seeds. Remember that the ground bark you buy now has the whole tree cut up in it and doesn't provide the food value bark, leaves, or pinestraw does. Cypress mulch makes you use more water and does not provide any food value to the soil for year. If you like colored cypress bark, then remember to water more and always keep feeding plants.

By gbk