Mulch - Different Options

When people think of mulch, they often think of wood chips or straw but many things can be used to block weeds.  A pot of flowers can allow perennials to grow without competition. This pot is protecting an Oriental poppy and some lilies.  

Here some  pieces of poplar logs are mulching between hostas and astilbes.

Because we live on a wooded lot, we have lots of leaves in the fall.  I rake them to the side of the lawn and let them act as a mulch between plants and the grass.

This year is the first time I have used old t-shirts as mulch but they work really well. No splashing when I water and the soil stays a very even dampness.  White also reflects more light.  The pepper plants seem happy.

 If I've been doing some weeding, I might just make a weed pile on top of an area that is growing weeds.  Not super pretty but in a few weeks it will have decomposed .

The astrantia is a relative newcomer and I wanted to make sure it wasn't competing with weeds.  I had some left over flooring and used the tiles as mulch.

A nice flat rock also works well as a barrier, and it always looks natural.

I use cardboard and newspaper as well but I'm always on the lookout for other free sources of mulch.

Take care and enjoy a garden.