Lay the newspaper down around the plants and wet it with a water hose to get it to lay flat. Often, newspaper will be covered with a light layer of organic mulch such as grass clippings.

Learn More › When people consider what xeriscape landscaping is, they might picture all-gravel yards and little to no color. But the truth is far from that. In fact, spreading gravel and ripping out ...

Pretty yet Practical When considering driveway landscape ideas, also think about the conditions. In the North, for instance, is there a place to shovel or blow snow? And, no matter where you live, you ...

Mulch piled up in a 1- or 2-foot tall mound "around the trunks of young trees is taking a good idea way, way too far," said Paul Cappiello, executive director at Yew Dell Botanical Gardens in ...

Plant-based mulch is powerful because it emulates the way plants live in nature. When leaves, stalks, dead branches, and other plant materials fall to the ground, they form a protective layer over ...

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Mulch of any kind improves the soil and growing conditions for plants in the heat. It keeps the soil from drying out, helps prevents soil erosion from wind and rain, and reduces soil compaction ...

You've probably heard this before but it bears repeating: Mulch should never be deeper than 2 to 4 inches, regardless of the type of plants that are being mulched.

Most plants will need 1 to 2 inches of water a week, either through rainfall or irrigation. Mulch will help retain soil moisture, meaning those beds may not have to be watered as often.

Plants need water for almost all of their life functions, and water that is frozen to ice is not much use. “That’s another reason so many trees drop their leaves in fall,” she said.

Mulch of any kind improves the soil and growing conditions for plants in the heat. It keeps the soil from drying out, helps prevents soil erosion from wind and rain, and reduces soil compaction ...