A guide to using mulch in your garden

As many gardeners know, when it comes to protecting your plants and flowers, mulch is your best friend. Here's a guide to using mulch in your garden:

Each time you set out a plant, the final planting step is usually to cover the ground around it with a blanket of mulch.

• Mulches are organic or inorganic materials that retard evaporation from the soil, smother weeds and insulate the root zone of plants, keeping them cool in summer and protecting them from frost damage in winter.
• Organic mulches have the added benefit of attracting beneficial earthworms, which aerate the soil and contribute plant nutrients.
• Mulches also give the garden a clean, well-managed appearance and, to a degree, you can even color-coordinate some mulches to your plants, such as choosing reddish or dark brown wood chips, or earthy-looking rich, black compost.
• You can buy many types of mulch at garden or home improvement centres, either in bags or by the truckload.
• Some of the most common organic mulches include bark nuggets, shredded wood chips and pine needles.
• For these or any other mulch to be effective, they should be spread on the ground about eight centimetres (three inches) thick.
• You should expect them to pack down in time, and also expect the organic ones to gradually decompose, becoming a thinner layer after a few months.
• When this happens, simply spread fresh mulch over the old.
• Be careful not to pile mulch right against the trunks of trees or smother the bases of shrubs or perennials.
• With woody plants, it is usually best to leave five centimetres (two inches) of open space between the trunk or stem and the blanket of mulch to avoid holding moisture next to the trunk, which is a situation that invites disease and insect infestation.

When well-sited, any plant will be healthier and more resistant to problems. However, in any garden, pest problems will pop up sooner or later. Whether those problems are due to insects or diseases, prompt intervention greatly improves your chances of saving plants from unnecessary suffering.

• Check your garden plants often for signs of trouble and be prepared to administer first aid right when the need arises.
• It may be comforting to know that a pest or disease problem on one plant seldom poses a serious risk to neighbouring plants of a different species.
• With few exceptions — notably slugs, snails, grasshoppers and Japanese beetles — each species of insect and disease-causing micro-organism specializes in a narrow range of plants.
• In other words, aphids that cluster on your roses are unlikely to colonize lilacs, because their physiology is such that they cannot digest the juices from lilac plants.
• The same is true of many diseases, including those that cause dark spots or light patches to form on leaves. When a zinnia suffers from powdery mildew, it is not likely that your marigolds will be similarly affected.
• Translated into a practical plan of attack, this means that you can focus on pest and disease problems as rather isolated incidents when your landscape is comprised of a diverse collection of plants.

Protective mulch is a sure-fire way to increase the quality of your garden from year to year. It will help new plants grow and ensure returning plants have all the nutrients they need to thrive. For any well-maintained garden, mulch is a must. Beyond that, keeping your eye out for pesky critters, pests, and plant diseases is the best way to keep your garden healthy and beautiful.