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 ...

COMPOST: Technically speaking, compost is organic matter that has decomposed. The easiest way to make compost is to pile up garden refuse (plus kitchen vegetable and fruit scraps if you’re inclined) ...

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 ...

Mulching the garden is a pretty straightforward thing to do well, but it is one of those garden tasks on which many people ...

We’re well into fall, but there are plenty of things still to do – or just dream about in the garden. You may have some questions. For answers, turn to Ask an Expert, an online question-and-answer ...

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 ...

Some mulches are better at blocking weeds, some are more attractive, and some contain organic matter that breaks down to ...

As gardeners embark on their annual spring weeding ritual, the subsequent step of mulching emerges as a vital practice for cultivating healthy beds and borders. Spreading a protective layer around ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. If you’ve begun your springtime weeding regime, the next step is likely to be mulching, spreading a layer around your prized ...

Compost and mulch. Both are great soil conditioners, but how do they differ? Each serves as a time-release fertilizer and insulator. When augmented with livestock and poultry manure, nutrient-rich ...