| The best mulch for roses is readily available at your | | | | thawing and freezing. |
| garden centers. Mulching is preferred to regular | | | | When the garden is mulched, some of the moisture |
| cultivating because roses are at best poor | | | | ascends through the mulch and escapes into the |
| root-makers. When you stir the soil with hoes and | | | | atmosphere but mulching greatly lessens this |
| other tools you will inevitably destroy some roots. | | | | evaporation. All perennial plants benefit by mulch in |
| Sticky wet mulch, high in organic matter, is an ideal | | | | the fall. Nature's mulch is the debris of fallen leaves, |
| breeding place for the winter-over stage of | | | | grass and other litter. The autumn leaves that blow |
| blackspot. When possible use relatively inert materials | | | | into the borders and clumps of shrubbery are the |
| such as rice hulls (these are largely silica), buckwheat | | | | very best winter covering. It is common practice to |
| hulls, or vermiculite. Corn cobs have been used but | | | | collect the leaves in the fall. This is a mistake. You |
| the disadvantage of these is that they are fairly high | | | | should leave these as winter protection. In our effort |
| in sugar; fungi can use it for food. | | | | for cleanliness we do our gardens a disservice. |
| If high-organic mulch is used, it should be removed | | | | A rose garden or any perennial garden will benefit by |
| soon after the fall rains begin and weed growth has | | | | loose, open mulch 6 to 8 inches deep. If the covering |
| slowed. You can place it in a compost pile with some | | | | is heavy it will hold too much water and can be |
| extra nitrogen to let it rot. In areas where winter | | | | injurious. Leaf mold, peat moss, autumn leaves mixed |
| protection is needed, do not replace it until the spring. | | | | with straw litter will prevent from packing too hard. |
| In less severe climates, fresh mulch can be applied | | | | Fine straw and evergreen boughs are some of the |
| once or replaced in the spring. | | | | materials which may be used as mulch. Put your |
| When winter is around the corner, many think about | | | | mulch over the perennials in the fall after the early |
| mulching. Mulching has four general objectives: | | | | frosts have penetrated about six inches into the |
| 1 To conserve moisture in the soil by preventing or | | | | ground. |
| hindering evaporation. | | | | If the mulch has thoroughly decayed by spring, it can |
| 2 To keep the surface of the soil loose. | | | | be left on the ground. |
| 3 To add plant food to the soil. | | | | Best mulch for roses also depends on the season. |
| 4 To protect gardens from the effects of alternate | | | | |