Mulch - Done!

Mulch - Done!

About 3 months ago I had the bright idea that rather than just clean up the flower bed edges I’d dig them out, remove any struggling plants, put in a border, lay down weed block and fill them up with fresh mulch in an effort to get them healthy for next spring. I honestly thought I could get this done over a couple of weekends. I was an idiot. 📷

Started by digging out the beds only to discover we’re standing on nothing but rock. 5 weeks later I was still digging. The first couple of shovels full of dirt went into a yard waste bag, I soon discovered that although the bag can hold 57 shovels of dirt, I lose the ability to carry it and about 12. So the yard waste bag idea was shelved and instead wheelbarrow loads of dirt and rocks were relocated behind the shed. This is a decision that I strongly suspect will come back to bite me in the near future.

📷Next I attempted to add the border. I tried this ‘Professional Lawn Edging’ from Valley View Industries and it worked OK but was difficult to install, tough to keep straight on long runs and did not play well with tree roots and rocks. I got 1 bed done with this and then moved on to ‘Easy Diamond Ground Lawn Edging’ from the same company. This worked out much better for me. It is tough to do tight corners on but it’s much easier to install and is much more forgiving of roots and the occasional pipe.

📷Next came the weedblock which was actually really easiest part of the whole project. My only objection here was the need to crawl under trees and bushes to lay the fabric. I do not appreciate it when spiders invade my space and was just as unhappy to be invading theirs. 📷Finally the mulch went down over the course of 2 days. I’d ordered 2 yards of the stuff but could have used a little more. My plan is to live with the occasional ‘bald spot’ for now and when the Hostas are done for the season I’ll pick up a couple of bags to top up the beds.