The Mulch "A-Ha" Moment

I'm not a gardener (I just play one on TV), and I don't think I have the right disposition for it, but I can appreciate good landscaping when I see it. That means a certain amount of yard work to keep the place looking civil, and even that minimal amount is at times too much for your truly. Sure, I mow the lawn and rake and prune assorted shrubs, but for the most part, I just keep things in order.

I do pay a little more attention to our blueberry bushes, because they sort of need it. They seem a bit more "needy" than your average shrub: I fertilize them twice a year, I water them (I don't water any other plants in our yard), I add soil acidifier, and I surround them with mulch. It was while I was attending to them recently that it suddenly dawned on me that other areas in our yard might benefit from mulch, and maybe the lack of ground cover accounted for the wild and uncontrolled growth of certain weeds. I decided that this year I would add mulch to certain trees and areas where bulbs grow. We have a crabapple tree with assorted perennials and irises growing along the back of the house.

There was a sale on cedar mulch and I got about 6-7 bags of the stuff, and I have to say, it sure does look nice, clean and orderly. Plus, it's kind of cool when the bulbs push through. I think it's somehow good for the trees, as well, because I think it protects the roots in some capacity. The only question is, what do I do with the mulch in the fall/winter? Does it simply become part of the soil? Isn't it just like me to worry about something that far into the future?

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to k.ivoutin for the pic.