Gertrude's Flower Garden Weekly Diary

5/17/02 - Today I was on my handy "kneeler" continuing to tidy the flower beds in preparation for being away almost two weeks. Working like this--on hands and knees, trimming, edging, and weeding--allows time to think, since the procedure becomes almost automatic. While I was working away, a local garden supply house delivered a truckload of garden mulch to one of my neighbors, and shortly afterwards some young men turned up to spread mulch on all the garden beds. I began to think, therefore, about the pluses and minuses of garden mulching in the spring. Unless you are selling mulch or gardening services, it seems to me that there are good arguments on both sides. As you know, I do not mulch the flower beds in Gertrude's garden, but I think that I can see why others do. Maybe my thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches may be helpful to you in making your own gardening plans.
The big advantages of mulching are the preservation of soil moisture, the control of weeds (remember that we humans call "weeds" plants we don't like, and "flowers" plants we do--to nature, they are all "plants"), and garden appearance. The disadvantages are cost and loss of self-seeded flowers. If you don't mulch, you may have dry soil conditions in the absence of normal rainfall, and you will have to take the time and effort to keep your flower beds tidy: clipping, edging, weeding, cultivation. But you will have the advantage of the "volunteers" on which I depend for a large percentage of both annual and perennial flowers. I think that appearance is a matter of opinion; I prefer the neat, tidy look of a carefully cared for flower bed, but that is a personal decision. An important consideration is time and cost: do you have the time that I do to spend in the garden, or are you better off to spend the money mulching and forget about "volunteers," that take additional time to thin and transplant,
Two years ago one of my California granddaughters sent me the seeds of a flower in her garden called Gold-Dust (Alyssum saxtile compactum). I dutifully planted the seeds in my basement garden, and, the following spring, set them out in the garden. The first year nothing happened, because these were perennials and not annuals as I had supposed. This spring, however, I was rewarded with beautiful, golden-yellow flowers worthy of the plant's name. Here is Taylor's description of them: "Often called Madwort or Basket-of-Gold, this valuable European perennial is one of the most popular plants in the Mustard Family. It has greyish-dusty foliage and dense, compact clusters of flowers. It is particularly useful as ground cover, and for pavement planting, or among cracks in stone steps. Color: golden yellow. Height: 6-8 inches. Flowering date: May. Varieties: Silver Queen, often called Citrinum (lemon-yellow). Set purchased plants in Oct. or early April in full sun, in any ordinary garden soil, but preferably sandy loam. Space 6-8 inches apart. As old plants are hard to move it is safer to start new clumps from seed, sewn 1/4 inch deep in May. The seedlings will bloom in the following year." This week's picture is of my Gold-dust spilling onto the walkway by the front steps.

ntgates@world.att.net