Benefits of Adding Mulch to Your Garden
Posted on: 24 February 2020
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A beautiful garden provides hours of pleasure; you can rest amongst the flowers and foliage or else work on creating your ideal space. One way to improve the landscape is with mulch. Read on to find out several benefits.
1. Saves Water and Keeps the Soil Warm
Mulch helps to retain moistness in the soil by limiting water-loss from evaporation. Once water seeps through the mulch layer into the earth, the ground cover protects it from air exposure. Water is a precious commodity, and mulching will help to conserve it. Over a long hot summers afternoon, in particular, your garden will be better off, tending to suffer less from dehydration. Check with your garden suppliers on possible options. Sometimes, more chunky mulches absorb less water—letting it reach the soil underneath—than finer mulches which can, at times, hold onto water. In winter, mulch can keep the soil warm, helping your plants to flourish despite the season.
2. Hinders Weeds
Abundant weeds within garden beds can generate hours of backbreaking work, as well as creating an eyesore. The weeds steal attention away from beautiful plants which tend to become hidden. To block annoying weed growth, cover the soil with mulch.
3. Adds Beauty
Mulch creates a consistent even background, allowing your plants to shine—it adds contrast to green foliage and colourful flowers. Options for mulch include various types of straw, wood chips, bark, river stones and pebbles. Each provides a different look. Straw gives a delicate, rustic look. Wood chips are available in various colours and hues depending on the tree species and any non-toxic dyes added. Blonde, red, charcoal and deep brown are among the options, which means you can create a variety of effects; plus you have a choice of wood-chip sizes. Rounded stones can add colourful blues, pinks, creams, reds or other hues to your garden. The hard, smooth rock surfaces create a perfect foil for soft foliage. Additionally, you can match the gravel to paving on pathways or the patio.
4. Provides Nourishment
Mulch can also nourish your garden and improve its overall health depending on the specific material. Pea straw and lucerne breakdown adding nutrients such as nitrogen into the soil. Wood chips and bark disintegrate over time, releasing valuable elements. By adding bark mulch, you're echoing the natural process whereby twigs and bark fall off trees to nourish the soil underneath. Bear in mind though that decaying bark can take nitrogen from the earth so check with mulch delivery services to learn which type of mulch matches your garden's needs.