Inorganic mulch used (on left) for a fantastic effect – Tarry garden
Champion 2018 Spring Garden Competition
Thinking of sprucing up your piece of paradise in preparation for the 2019 Spring Garden Competition? Mulching might be the ‘icing’ on your garden ‘cake’ to make it look very spiffy for the judges come September. BUT choosing the ideal mulch is a very tricky decision. In this post I will outline the different types of mulch, the advantages of mulching, the disadvantages of mulching and my conclusion on what to choose.
There are three basic types of mulch:
The advantages of mulching and the primary reasons to mulch:
The disadvantages of mulching:
Living mulch of Grevillea porinda Royal Mantle – Clague garden
winner Block over 4001 square metres 2018
Mulching tips:
Don’t really have one……… there are positive reasons for mulching including weed suppression, appearance, moisture retention and by the same token there are reasons for not mulching too – cost, work involved, imbalance of nutrients. So I guess it is really up to the individual and the garden itself.
There are many different mulches available from your local nursery or landscape supplier – Cypress chip/mulch, Hardwood chip/fines, Native Mulch, Pinebark (various sizes), Pine Sawdust, Red Diamond Chips, Tea Tree Mulch, Uni Mulch and lots and lots of Aggregate – river pebbles, gravels, volcanic rock etc.
My advice would be to have a good think about where you are going to mulch, what plants will be growing there, how much $ you’ve got to spend and what is practical for you to apply – not much point getting a tip truck full of heavy aggregate if you’ve a dodgy back.
If you are preparing your garden for the competition it would be best to get the mulching done now (if you haven’t already done it) rather than the days leading up to judging time. It settles well into your landscape and doesn’t have that ‘instant’ covering up look.
North Coast Regional Botanic Garden
Display Room
Hardacre Street
Coffs Harbour
President
Vice President:
E: vicepresidentchgc@gmail.com
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Patron: Patricia Roser OAM
The Garden Club meet at the Botanic Garden Display Room the THIRD Saturday of the month Jan-Nov (unless otherwise advised).
We ask members to be there before 12:30pm to place their exhibits on the Competition Table, have an opportunity to browse the Trading Table and have a natter. The actual meeting kicks off at 1:00pm.
At the conclusion we will share an afternoon tea for $2 please BYO cup/mug.
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