A few years ago, a gardening friend suggested I place a layer of compost in my flower beds before mulching with my usual shredded bark mulch. As my garden seemed happy and required less care that ...

Back when I was a professional gardener, I had clients who insisted on having me lay down landscape fabric then putting bark on top of it to discourage weeds. I hated this practice and tried to talk ...

Beautiful as they are, colorful autumn leaves can be a real clean up process. Instead of bagging them up or letting them blow away, you can turn them into a valuable resource for your garden. Leaf ...

A rose by any other name may still be a rose, but mulches need defining. There are 17 different materials considered on the University of California’s Statewide Integrated Pest Management website, and ...

Many folks are now improving new and established gardens with mulch, but be wary of where you get it. It is possible to spread insects like the coconut rhinoceros beetle, sugarcane borer and fire ants ...

A layer of wood mulch and compost at highway construction sites can reduce rain runoff and lessen erosion, according to research from the LSU AgCenter. A three-year study, funded by the state ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Pine straw mulch, the dried byproduct of fallen pine needles, is a popular mulch because it is lightweight yet remains stable and ...

Amanda Blum is a freelancer who writes about smart home technology, gardening, and food preservation. Previously, Amanda has worked as a technology strategist specializing in problem solving and ...

It's best to avoid planting seeds directly into mulch. Instead, move the mulch out of the way and plant seeds directly into the soil. "Seeds require contact with the soil, along with moisture and ...