Flower Planting 101: Simplifying Your Planting Maps
Why Is Mulch Beneficial To Flower Beds?
Juanita Douglas
There is nothing that improves the look of property around a home quite as much as having beautiful flower beds full of healthy flowers. Those who love working in their flower beds take great pride in making them look as lovely as possible. Applying mulch around the flowers in flower beds is one way that many gardeners do this. These are some of the reasons why mulch is beneficial to flower beds.
Preventing Weed Growth
When layered properly, mulch will kill out existing weeds and prevent new weeds from growing back. This is because a 3 inch layer of mulch blocks sunlight out so that weeds cannot grow and flourish. Some gardeners also place a layer of a weed blocking fabric or plastic down before putting mulch around plants and flowers in flower beds. This makes it nearly impossible for any weeds to grow in the flower bed.
Keeping Plant Roots Damp
A flower bed that does not have mulch often has a top layer of soil that hardens in the sun. This means that much of the rain or water evaporates instead of soaking deep into the soil where plant roots are. However, a layer of mulch keeps the top soil from drying out because it is protected from the heat of the sun. Therefore, rain and water soaks down into the soil, goes to the roots of plants and keeps them damp. This also means plants with mulch around them can be watered less frequently.
Climate Controlled Soil
Some flowers thrive better in hot temperatures and some thrive better in cooler temperatures. When mulch is put down in early spring before hot temperatures begin, this keeps plants that prefer cooler temperatures cooler longer and may also help them bloom longer. Mulch that is put down in the summer when temperatures have already risen, helps plants that prefer hot temperatures to stay warmer longer and may help them continue to bloom until fall. Mulch also protects the roots of plants that return every year from being damaged during the winter in especially cold climates.
Along with keeping plants and flowers healthy, using mulch in flower beds can also improve the condition of the soil. As old mulch breaks down, it gives important nutrients to the soil that helps plants and flowers thrive even more. If there are only annual plants in the flower beds, old mulch can be tilled and mixed into the soil before adding new mulch. This enriches the soil with nutrients to better prepare it for new plants during the next planting season.
Share
One of the things that I always loved about spring as a kid was watching all of the flowers my mother planted suddenly come up from the ground and then bloom into vibrant, beautiful colors. When I bought my own house, one of the first things I wanted to do was plant flowers. What I didn't realize was how hard it could be to figure out what to plant where. From the sun demand to the companion planting guides, it was complicated. I created this site to help others just like me create the flower gardens they always wanted without the struggles that I faced.