Donna Hawkins - April- Bark Mulch!

So, I'm going to make this one short.  I've been short on time lately.  I've started working full time, at least for the next 4 weeks.  I don't know how other people do it, but I'm having a VERY hard time prioritizing.  It was a blessing finding a job that would take me for the time that Bevan was off from the ski resort.  The only thing I'm looking forward to is going part-time once Bevan heads back.  I'm VERY anxious for June! (well, my bosses aren't, but they'll just have to deal with it).

Anywho... We bought our house back in December of 2010.  The landscaping had been neglected for years.  No sprinkler system was ever installed.  Lots of the plants had died.  The large aspen trees on the corner of our property are still making a recovery.  I saw it as a blank slate!  We had a complete redo!  I used many of my resources and connections to create a yard perfectly suited for our small lot.  Almost everything was installed that next summer, and the garden went in the summer after that.  The only thing lacking was the final touch, the bark mulch.

In a landscape, mulch plays an important roll.
- It adds a finished look to your yard
- It covers the surface drip tubing
- It prevents weeds (when at least 2" deep)
- It insulates the root zone and regulates the surface soil temperature
- It contributes to the nutrient cycle.  When it decomposes, it adds nutrients to the soil.  The absolute BEST mulch out there is the stuff that comes out the back of a green waste chipper.  Shredded wood and leaves.  That's right, Nora!  That stuff you got back in west jordan (that I totally turned up my nose at) is the best stuff for your garden and beds.  In nature, there's usually a layer of decomposing leaves and brush on the forest floor, constantly adding nitrogen back to the soil.  Of course, finer mulch is harder to keep in place, but it you don't mind the extra work, the benefits are wonderful.  On top of that, skip the weed-barrier fabric.  It doesn't do much anyway.

Saying that... I didn't order the fine mulch.  I got a small bark chips combo, with a little bit of shredded in it.  It was a good compromise, but a lot more expensive than chipper mulch.   Non-died, but has lot of natural colors.  It was hard to find but Woodstuffs in Springville had it.  I needed 12 cubic yards for our 2-3" coverage everywhere, so the best way to achieve this was to fork over a $75 delivery fee to haul it up.  I probably would've spent more than that going back and forth.  I made sure they dumped it right in the middle of our driveway, to give us extra motivation to move it quickly!  With Bevan being temporarily unemployed, he had lots of time to work!  A couple days later, viola!  Final cost $600.  Ouch!  But we won't have to do this again for many, many years!  We justified it with my generous hourly pay.  Our yard looks so chiseled!   It also makes for good advertising... not that I have time right now for extracurricular designs anyway.

Here's a tip for y'all.  Get some cheap mulch.  Dress your beds.  Your plants will thank you!