# Mulch is for people with no imagination



## BXMurphy

Let's start a fight. 

I am unanimous in the following...

Nothing says, *"I have no imagination and can't afford a plant"* quite like a mulch bed.

I will suggest that you should never see the mulch (and weeds will never see the sun) in a properly planted flower garden bed. I will also suggest that the only weeding necessary is done with a garden edger.

Finally... any ground cover... even grass... is to be preferred to mulch.

Your turn.


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## Colonel K0rn

Mulch is for people who don't put a PreM in their flowerbed. I put some out when I did my bed, and had to only pick out straggling mondo grass that popped up through the bags of raised bed soil I used to actually raise the flowerbed off of the ground. I have very few weeds in the bed now, and some very aggressive growing pansies that are still sticking around since I planted them last year. Mulch is just another reason I'd rather use my money to buy more flowers.


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## Rackhouse Mayor

BXMurphy said:


> Let's start a fight.
> 
> I am unanimous in the following...
> 
> Nothing says, *"I have no imagination and can't afford a plant"* quite like a mulch bed.
> 
> I will suggest that you should never see the mulch (and weeds will never see the sun) in a properly planted flower garden bed. I will also suggest that the only weeding necessary is done with a garden edger.
> 
> Finally... any ground cover... even grass... is to be preferred to mulch.
> 
> Your turn.


Just remember you started it.... Bare soil flowerbeds are for Massholes that don't have a real summer. :lol:

Mulch has nothing to do with money or imagination. In fact, mulch can be very expensive. Have you priced rubber mulch lately? And trust me, there's a lot of thought that goes in to type, color, and quantity of mulch.

It's more about necessity. Do you have insulation in your home? That's what mulch is for us Southerners.


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## BXMurphy

Rackhouse Mayor said:


> Just remember you started it.... Bare soil flowerbeds are for Massholes that don't have a real summer.


Heh! Good! That's the spirit! 

Mulch. It's for someone who can't afford a plant instead, and, even if he could... wouldn't know how to care for it.

In my mind, if I see mulch, I see a white flag of surrender. It's like, "I give up... I dug this up or I can't get anything to grow here... heck, I may as well just cover it up with somebody's lawn scraps."


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## pennstater2005

I like mulch.


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## BXMurphy

Colonel K0rn said:


> Mulch is for people who don't put a PreM in their flowerbed


That's right, Colonel. There is NOTHING more luxurious than soil that looks like coffee grounds. No weeds. No stones. No debris. Perfectly manicured.

If you can't do that, plant some flowers or grow some grass. I'm with you!

It has gotten so bad in America that black mulch is on the market as a poor imitation. People put it down and a month later, it is filled with debris and looks like crap.

Look, if you are going to grow a flower garden, GROW A FLOWER GARDEN...

Pre-M? Snapshot. 'Nuff said.

What are you using?


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## BXMurphy

pennstater2005 said:


> I like mulch.


Understood. Some guys actually like a toilet bowl in the front lawn as a planter.

But let's think about this...

Mulch? Really? You couldn't get a plant in there? You couldn't get it to grow, to flower, and have it even more beautiful than lawn scraps?

Pennstater2005? Et tu?

ANYTHING is more luxurious than lawn scraps.


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## pennstater2005

I don't like plants that much. Overrated. Mulch is King. Well, aside from grass.


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## kds

I have a huge terrace on top of a retaining wall, and I also have dogs. There's no way I'm going to be able to cover so much space with plants, and then have the dogs trample them. Nope. No way. Not even going to try. Throw the mulch down.



Rackhouse Mayor said:


> Mulch has nothing to do with money or imagination. In fact, mulch can be very expensive. Have you priced rubber mulch lately?


I just got a quote for mulch of my terrace, 29 cu yds of cedar (3" deep) for $1600 delivered. Expensive.



Colonel K0rn said:


> Mulch is for people who don't put a PreM in their flowerbed.


I still put pre-em down.


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## BXMurphy

pennstater2005 said:


> I don't like plants that much. Overrated. Mulch is King. Well, aside from grass.


'Zactly. No excuse for mulch or stones or leaves or whatever.... except for no imagination or no money.

Now... we ARE in the landscaping forum of a site called "The Lawn Forum," right?

That means I don't want to hear any whining from a guy in Arizona with tumbleweeds and a rock garden for a front lawn or some dude in Hawaii with a lava flow complaining about how all his plants catch fire...


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## BXMurphy

kds said:


> I have a huge terrace on top of a retaining wall, and I also have dogs. There's no way I'm going to be able to cover so much space with plants, and then have the dogs trample them. Nope. No way. Not even going to try. Throw the mulch down.


Uh huh. But that's playing defense not landscaping. You might as well pave it over and be done with it.


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## pennstater2005

Benefits of mulching:

Ron Hazelton is never wrong.

https://www.ronhazelton.com/tips/how_to_apply_mulch_and_the_benefits_of_mulching


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## Colonel K0rn

pennstater2005 said:


> Benefits of mulching:
> 
> Ron Hazelton is never wrong.
> 
> https://www.ronhazelton.com/tips/how_to_apply_mulch_and_the_benefits_of_mulching


He does have a point. Ron appears to have applied 10 bags of mulch in this video, and nary a stain on his glorious khakis. I think he wears the same shirt in all of his videos. I swear he was wearing the same outfit when he sealed his driveway with asphalt sealer, and not a damn speck of black on his outfit. I can't spray my yard without getting any dye on my hands/arms/shorts/shoes, and that's when I wear full PPE, and I'm using a 2 gallon hand can!

@BXMurphy I'm just using Preen  I had a big container of it from a while back.


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## SGrabs33

I would certainly enjoy not having to pay for the beds to be "refreshed" with mulch every year. What's your flower bed look like @BXMurphy?


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## TulsaFan

Everybody was getting along so well and then this thread happens...Is this the turning point of The Lawn Forum? @Ware takes the day off to have a child and everything goes to hell???


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## Pete1313

TulsaFan said:


> Everybody was getting along so well and then this thread happens...Is this the turning point of The Lawn Forum? Ware takes the day off to have a child and everything goes to hell???


 :lol: :lol:



BXMurphy said:


> Pre-M? Snapshot. 'Nuff said.
> 
> What are you using?


I used a mix of prodiamine+isoxaben last year in the beds and had good results.


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## BXMurphy

TulsaFan said:


> Everybody was getting along so well and then this thread happens...Is this the turning point of The Lawn Forum? Ware takes the day off to have a child and everything goes to hell???


Haha! Yep! Goes to hell in a handbasket over mulch.

I love this place...


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## BXMurphy

SGrabs33 said:


> I would certainly enjoy not having to pay for the beds to be "refreshed" with mulch every year. What's your flower bed look like?


Actually looks like crap!

Last year I planted some Supertunias that covered every square inch. They overflowed the bed. I weed-whacked them into the shape of the garden bed. Gorgeous!

That was by accident. The rest of the bed was a wild, unplanned mess. This year... I will plan it out!

A guy here (or was it "the other forum") posted a picture of his flower garden under the influence of something called "Kelp Help." (I recommend and use it.)

That man's garden was straining against the garden bed boundary. I guarantee that if he tried to show a picture of the soil, you wouldn't see it.

Just like I couldn't show you the soil under my ridiculous petunias. Every square inch was a riot of color!

So, why would a man dig up perfectly good grass and dump lawn scraps on it? Why would he have an expanse of forest scrapings instead of something more challenging and luxurious?


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## BXMurphy

pennstater2005 said:


> Benefits of mulching:
> 
> Ron Hazelton is never wrong.
> 
> https://www.ronhazelton.com/tips/how_to_apply_mulch_and_the_benefits_of_mulching


Benefits my eye! Just crying poverty and lack of an eye for beauty. Mulch cuts down on watering... evaporation... temperatures...

Wait! What is that I hear? Could it be... violins?

Ron! Pull up! Water that garden! Plant the right plants for your zone! Dude! You know the basics, right?

Or... don't grow flowers if you can't do it right.


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## BXMurphy

Gimme a Hoosier... a farmer dude.

He can grow 3 million acres of corn with zero weeds without breaking a sweat. You? Can't do a single rose bush without applying Agent Orange for miles around and then paving it over with mulch.

Mulch is for landscapers on The Lawn Forum. 

Incoming... ducking!


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## pennstater2005

I give you Ron Hazelton......










Wait. Uh. Well, his name is Ron. And he mulches. I don't actually have an argument either way. I'm lazy so I throw bags of mulch everywhere.


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## kds

BXMurphy said:


> kds said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have a huge terrace on top of a retaining wall, and I also have dogs. There's no way I'm going to be able to cover so much space with plants, and then have the dogs trample them. Nope. No way. Not even going to try. Throw the mulch down.
> 
> 
> 
> Uh huh. But that's playing defense not landscaping. You might as well pave it over and be done with it.
Click to expand...

Alright man, then you can pay for the materials and labor for concrete, rip out the trees that are there, and deal with the drainage issues that will inevitably arise since that's what the terrace was built to address.

Or you could come over and pay for and plant the ground cover for 1500 sq ft and maintain it which includes replacing damaged plants from my dogs using the yard as a yard.

Or you could just stop being unreasonable and understand that everyone has their own reasons for their own landscaping decisions, most of which do not involve "poor people with no imagination."


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## Colonel K0rn

I say to hell with mowing, I'll mulch my entire lot.


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## wardconnor

I'm in the no mulch fan club. It does look nice though in the right application.


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## Topcat

You might be onto something - but I think your assessment is slightly off. I mulch, however I am not poor. You should see how much I spend on mulch each year. But I will concede... I DO lack imagination. 

Where is the popcorn smilie?


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## BXMurphy

There was another thread around here about rubber mulch. That's what got me on this kick.

Rubber mulch? They didn't want termites.

The more I thought about it... you will see a 500 SF mulch bed with three plants in it. You have to wonder...

Now, what if you took that whole 500 SF and planted a manly garden there instead? Bordered it with a one-foot hedge... lovely fountain in there... up your 500 SF game...

And then there's another thread about planters... glorious pots stuffed with plants... overflowing... would you buy a planter, put one plant in it, and mulch around it? I suppose you _could..._

I used to like mulch until yesterday when I read the rubber mulch thread and then thought the whole thing through. 

Now I look at a mulch bed like it is an unfinished project... somebody just wasted a bunch of time, effort, and money. Maybe they should have just left it alone.


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## BXMurphy

kds said:


> Or you could just stop being unreasonable and understand that everyone has their own reasons for their own landscaping decisions, most of which do not involve "poor people with no imagination."


Easy, friend... just having some fun and expanding the thought process about mulch beds.

I agree. You DEFINITELY need mulch.


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## FlyMike

What about people who want definition between their plants, and don't want it to look like mother nature got wasted and puked up her vegetation so that "no dirt is showing"?

I'm sure you know soil types vary greatly across all locations. I have good ol' Georgia red clay where I'm located. For me to have your "manicured black dirt" I would have to bring it in. Then arfter a while it would end up getting mixed in with the current soil/wash away and the color would fade/go away. I could rinse and repeat this or I could get something that holds color along with looking good as well.


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## BXMurphy

Colonel K0rn said:


> I say to hell with mowing, I'll mulch my entire lot.


You would, too! 

The garden Pre-M thing that you talked about earlier... that's the berries... I discovered that little trick at The Lawn Forum as I was shopping for lawn supplies. Then the guy at SiteOne said I should go with Snapshot. Pricey but will last the rest of my life.

Stupid me... I have a two-foot wide foundation garden around my little cottage and I STILL mulch it. I will put something like a half-dozen plants in there and call it a day. And THEN fight weeds that pop through the mulch. Dummy!

I got cute last year and oversprayed with prodiamine. That was pretty good!

I was going to go with mulch and Snapshot this year until the rubber mulch thread. And then I remembered those petunias I planted too close to the border last year and how I just weed-whacked them into the shape of my garden bed. No harm done.

And then I remember zero weeds growing under my cucumber and zucchini plants (huge leaves!). And then I remember the picture of that guy's garden who uses Kelp Help on it. Whoa! Bursting at the seams with flowers and fauna.

See... that's the learning process for flower gardens on a lawn forum.  Very slow like that. 'Specially if you are an Irishman from Massachusetts.

Now if I were on Better Home and Gardens... it would still take me forever to catch on but I wouldn't have such a nice lawn surrounding a mediocre garden.


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## BXMurphy

FlyMike said:


> What about people who want definition between their plants, and don't want it to look like mother nature got wasted and puked up her vegetation so that "no dirt is showing"?


Haha.. 

I'll tell ya... I think mulch is the cheap and easy way out. Use stepping stones... a water feature... bare dirt... grass... pathways...

It's hard and expensive to keep bare dirt bare. That's championship game! It's hard to mow grass pathways to maintain separation and provide definition. That's master craftwork! That's landscaping.

I tell my wife that anybody can grow a vegetable garden. The trick is weeding and watering it. Keeping it from the kids and other assorted animals.

Same with your flower garden. Weed and water it. That's the hard part.


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## gatormac2112

SGrabs33 said:


> I would certainly enjoy not having to pay for the beds to be "refreshed" with mulch every year. What's your flower bed look like @BXMurphy?


Yep! This thread is useless without pictures. Put 'em up! @BXMurphy


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## ABC123

orange mulch looks the best, red is my second choice.


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## BXMurphy

ABC123 said:


> orange mulch looks the best, red is my second choice.


Oohhh nooo.... you DIDN'T just start THAT war, did you?!?? 

Brown mulch!


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## Colonel K0rn

gatormac2112 said:


> SGrabs33 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I would certainly enjoy not having to pay for the beds to be "refreshed" with mulch every year. What's your flower bed look like?
> 
> 
> 
> Yep! This thread is useless without pictures. Put 'em up!
Click to expand...

Oooh, shots fired. And I had to delete the mentions because they keep wanting to be placed in my reply when I hit the Return key.

Would it make you think twice about mulch that I plan to put in my planters and raised bet to keep the moisture in, and keep the dirt from drying out too quickly? I wouldn't be lacking in imagination, but rather call it "creative landscaping".


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## BXMurphy

gatormac2112 said:


> Yep! This thread is useless without pictures. Put 'em up!


Whoa! That's a GREAT idea! I'm glad you reminded me. I wish I took pictures last year before I found TLF! What an epic yard clean-up... this year will be SWEET!

I took some shots... I did my first mow... let me see if I can get them up there later after firing up the grill for some steak tips.

I would ask for some return shots but I have seen piles of mulch before. Meh...  it reminds me of a burger joint parking lot.


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## BXMurphy

Colonel K0rn said:


> Would it make you think twice about mulch that I plan to put in my planters and raised bet to keep the moisture in, and keep the dirt from drying out too quickly? I wouldn't be lacking in imagination, but rather call it "creative landscaping".


Seriously? Mulch in a planter? You have to ask? 

From what I read here, we have guys whose garages would rival something out of "Breaking Bad" (a television meth lab). They measure rainfall, have irrigation systems... They cut their lawns with scissors... know all there is to know about weeds and how to kill them... and I am reading in another thread about guys comparing sale prices on dump truck loads of RUBBER MULCH?!???

RUBBER MULCH!!! Hah! 

And they are talking about rubber mulch in public... on a serious forum for serious guys... and one of them says you can paint the mulch if it starts to fade!  Dude! Dude?

I bet you could get kicked off of serious lawn forums for such heresy! (Ducking...)

I would think (therefore I am a target) that any question on a lawn forum would have an answer like, "'Mo grass... all ye need is 'mo grass, man. I would use 25% KBG, 3.682% rye..." 

Watch... dig a hole... stick something green in it... keep it watered and weed-free... edge around it... put some nice decorations... you don' need no steenkin' mulch!

Growing a lawn is like playing the drum. ANYBODY can bang a drum. It is knowing when NOT to bang that drum that counts.

Same with a lawn. Where the lawn should NOT be is the trick. 

Haha! You guys are too much!  Rubber mulch... kids...


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## ABC123

BXMurphy said:


> ABC123 said:
> 
> 
> 
> orange mulch looks the best, red is my second choice.
> 
> 
> 
> Oohhh nooo.... you DIDN'T just start THAT war, did you?!??
> 
> Brown mulch!
Click to expand...

I mostly do it to help the flies, they get attracted to the smelly mushrooms that grow in mulch.


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## BXMurphy

ABC123 said:


> I mostly do it to help the flies, they get attracted to the smelly mushrooms that grow in mulch.


That's what I like about you... always thinking about the other fly... never a thought about yourself. 

(Thank you! I'll be here all week! Try the veal!)


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## pennstater2005

Shield your eyes BX! Mulch in a flowerbed.


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## g-man

Guys, let's keep TLF respectful to all members. I know this is all fun among members that know each other, but a new member might not see it that way.


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## pennstater2005

g-man said:


> Guys, let's keep TLF respectful to all members. I know this is all fun among members know each other, but a new member might not see it that way.


Good point. I am truly just messing around. I like flower beds with and without mulch


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## BXMurphy

pennstater2005 said:


> Shield your eyes BX! Mulch in a flowerbed.


Man, that's nice! See, I want to do something like that...

I bet you could bring those flowers right up to the grass line if you wanted...


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## BXMurphy

pennstater2005 said:


> g-man said:
> 
> 
> 
> Guys, let's keep TLF respectful to all members. I know this is all fun among members know each other, but a new member might not see it that way.
> 
> 
> 
> Good point. I am truly just messing around. I like flower beds with and without mulch
Click to expand...

Ditto! I have WAY more smilies than any sane man would have in a post! In fact... I will bet I win a prize for most smilies!


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## BXMurphy

OK... here is what I am working with... just a couple of foundation beds. I would LOVE to turn them into something like what pennstater2005 posted!!!!!

Every year, I would dig out all the weeds and then plop some plants in there without any thought as to whether they are right for that location. Then, of course, I wouldn't have ENOUGH plants but I'd spread some mulch around and think to myself, "This is THE year!"

Naturally, the weeds would grow through the mulch and I'd be back to the jungle again.

*And then I discovered The Lawn Forum!!!*

I'll bet you that if I packed the plants in like pennstater2005 did, I would NOT see any weeds! And then... after learning about how to manage weeds like they teach you right here... I wouldn't even need any mulch!

In fact, I bet that I could even have bare ground where pennstater2005 has black mulch.

So... here are my "before" pictures. What pennstater2005 has is my target "after" effect. I think that what he did there is just GORGEOUS!!

I'll post some photos as I go along...


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## pennstater2005

Those aren't my beds....just an example. Mine are boring. I like very simple easy to maintain landscaping. Now if someone would do that for me I'd be all in!!


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## Reel Low Dad

It looks like I see mulch but it can't be so I'm just going to think that's flaming blown in there from the neighbors OSB fence panel &#128513;


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## BXMurphy

Fistertondeluxe said:


> It looks like I see mulch but it can't be so I'm just going to think that's flaming blown in there from the neighbors OSB fence panel 😁


Darned fence..

Yeah, that's mulch. And weeds. I even have four more bags of mulch in the garage left over from last year. And I have a bag of Scott's SummerGard...

All of that completely unnecessary when you hang out at TLF.

I'll tell ya... this place is a real eyeopener! It really makes yard work enjoyable.


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## BXMurphy

pennstater2005 said:


> Those aren't my beds....just an example. Mine are boring. I like very simple easy to maintain landscaping. Now if someone would do that for me I'd be all in!!


True that! I was going to ask how you got coleus to grow that tall!



Above is an example of what I think is a total waste. I used to like this look but now that I think about it a little more... it just looks so unfinished.

I would suggest packing in some more plants, creating a little vignette in there, or just reducing the mulch area, leave the lawn alone, and get the three plants and two rocks closer together.

When you think about it, doesn't it look like the guy couldn't afford to spring for more plants?


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## BXMurphy

BXMurphy said:


> pennstater2005 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Those aren't my beds....just an example. Mine are boring. I like very simple easy to maintain landscaping. Now if someone would do that for me I'd be all in!!
> 
> 
> 
> True that! I was going to ask how you got coleus to grow that tall!
> 
> 
> 
> Above is an example of what I think is a total waste. I used to like this look but now that I think about it a little more... it just looks so unfinished.
> 
> I would suggest packing in some more plants, creating a little vignette in there, or just reducing the mulch area, leave the lawn alone, and get the three plants and two rocks closer together.
> 
> When you think about it, doesn't it look like the guy couldn't afford to spring for more plants?
Click to expand...


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## gatormac2112

BXMurphy said:


> gatormac2112 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Yep! This thread is useless without pictures. Put 'em up!
> 
> 
> 
> Whoa! That's a GREAT idea! I'm glad you reminded me. I wish I took pictures last year before I found TLF! What an epic yard clean-up... this year will be SWEET!
> 
> I took some shots... I did my first mow... let me see if I can get them up there later after firing up the grill for some steak tips.
> 
> I would ask for some return shots but I have seen piles of mulch before. Meh...  it reminds me of a burger joint parking lot.
Click to expand...

:lol:


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## Pete1313

Like others have mentioned, there are other reasons to mulch besides what you say is just laziness and someone's lack of imagination to plant a bed of flowers. I have alot of trees throughout my yard. What do you do around a tree where it is difficult to mow and trim around? Where grass struggles to grow? For me I mulch, create sharp edging and it helps the rest of the lawn "pop". Planting annuals or some other weaker plant would be a waste for me as my 2 larger dogs and 3 kids would trample over them and destroy them.

I also have some privacy landscaping/trees on one side. No desire to plant anything else in there, but the grass won't grow or would be difficult to mow so I mulch.









On the other side is a swing set , trampoline, building a new sandbox, and more privacy landscaping, mulch is again the best option here.









I do have some raised beds and do like to fill those with different plantings as the dogs and kids stay out of them. But for me on a yard with 8000 sq ft of beds, and with dogs and kids, it is not the best choice to stuff every square inch of them with different plants. Your situation will be different as will some others, and is why this Forum is great. Different ideas and different goals, but neither one is inferior or wont look as good.

I'm working on my beds this year to reestablish them after a reno and there is nothing poor about getting quotes for 40yds of mulch.


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## pennstater2005

G-man has a good point. May want to consider editing the title. Us members know it's in jest but those passing through could be turned off quickly.

Just a thought!

Eric


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## BXMurphy

pennstater2005 said:


> G-man has a good point. May want to consider editing the title. Us members know it's in jest but those passing through could be turned off quickly.
> 
> Just a thought!
> 
> Eric


How do you do that?


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## pennstater2005

BXMurphy said:


> pennstater2005 said:
> 
> 
> 
> G-man has a good point. May want to consider editing the title. Us members know it's in jest but those passing through could be turned off quickly.
> 
> Just a thought!
> 
> Eric
> 
> 
> 
> How do you do that?
Click to expand...

If you click the edit button on the first post you'll see the current title and you can edit it from there.


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## BXMurphy

pennstater2005 said:


> BXMurphy said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> pennstater2005 said:
> 
> 
> 
> G-man has a good point. May want to consider editing the title. Us members know it's in jest but those passing through could be turned off quickly.
> 
> Just a thought!
> 
> Eric
> 
> 
> 
> How do you do that?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> If you click the edit button on the first post you'll see the current title and you can edit it from there.
Click to expand...

No dice. It just changes the first post.


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## pennstater2005

It changes it for those just browsing through the active topics though.

And for every post that gets added now.


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## Colonel K0rn

g-man said:


> Guys, let's keep TLF respectful to all members. I know this is all fun among members that know each other, but a new member might not see it that way.


*DISCLAIMER* THIS THREAD IS SATIRE
Says the man who calls our Alpha Grass Bermuda a weed. *pshh*  I don't see you writing a Northern Mix Testament. Mulch is just a gateway to thin and tall cool season grass.


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## g-man

Multiple publications call bermuda a weed and not just me. There are products that try to kill it. We do have a "testament."


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## Cory

We don't have flowers because my wife and our daughter are allergic to bees, don't want to attract more than we already have. I have rubber mulch so I don't have to replace it every year, spent 18 years remodeling houses with termite damage, I'll stick with rubber thanks for your input though. And I'm with the others, this thread reads bad and you sound like a douchebag. Everyone has different taste, mulch or no mulch, flowers or no flowers, what's the difference as long as the end result is maintained and looks nice?


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## Colonel K0rn

g-man said:


> Multiple publications call bermuda a weed and not just me. There are products that try to kill it. We do have a "testament."


Touche'. I guess those legislators in Utah knew what they were doing when the called it a Noxious Weed.


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## BXMurphy

Cory said:


> And I'm with the others, this thread reads bad and you sound like a douchebag.


May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits. 

What are you talking about? I think it reads nicely!...

I agree... you DEFINITELY should not have flowers and rubber is perfect for you.


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## TulsaFan

I have enjoyed reading the friendly, sarcastic banter of this thread.

I have three bags of mulch in the garage I bought at the end of last season. I may reconsider how I was going to apply it. We may plant more Josephs Coat and Begonias and use less mulch this year.

Of course, it helps @BXMurphy's argument that the wife and I love @wardconnor's design element's of his house and landscape. If he is against mulch, BXMurphy may have a point.


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## BXMurphy

Mulch. Something that looks like dirt to cover up dirt because... your own dirt doesn't look good enough.

But... hey... you know... it keeps dirt cool and helps dirt hold moisture because... you are not watering your dirt enough.

Only on The Lawn Forum... <wink>


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## BXMurphy

Rubber mulch... makes that Astro Turf REALLY "pop!"


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## Colonel K0rn

So, are you saying that we should do away with mulch on playgrounds? The last time I checked, kids had the greatest imagination of humans. Perhaps mulch should replace the floors of the Capital Building in D.C. :wink:


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## BXMurphy

Colonel K0rn said:


> So, are you saying that we should do away with mulch on playgrounds? The last time I checked, kids had the greatest imagination of humans. Perhaps mulch should replace the floors of the Capital Building in D.C. :wink:


Tell ya the truth... I was thinking rubber mulch and Astro Turf would be great for Christmas in New England. I could get me one of those tinsel trees like this.



Then I could shovel off my lawn and leaf blow the snow off the rubber mulch.

The Lawn Forum Christmas Vacation.


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## krusej23

Let's see your non-mulched garden area now @BXMurphy.


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## BXMurphy

krusej23 said:


> Let's see your non-mulched garden area now @BXMurphy.


Hah!  Fair enough... that's a good idea!

I have two areas on either of the front walkway and another in a north-facing backyard... I do have weed pressure as you see in the close-ups but I plan on glyphosate and some hoe work and then Preen it down for the season.

There is some mulch shards from the season before I decided I could go mulch-free. You will also note some white pebble stone that I keep picking out from a badly done stone removal project.

All in, not really too bad.

I DO plan on mulch eventually... after I space and age my perenials.

Here is where I am...


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## TN Hawkeye

@BXMurphy I didn't read this thread just went to the last post as always. Those pictures look really plain. You should consider mulch. Home Depot has rubber mulch on sale. It's great. Keeps the soil moist and you can paint it every year to refresh it. @Cory has some and it looks great.


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## krusej23

Our mulch is used to cover up spaces that aren't taken up by young perennials yet.


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## BXMurphy

TN Hawkeye said:


> @BXMurphy I didn't read this thread just went to the last post as always. Those pictures look really plain. You should consider mulch. Home Depot has rubber mulch on sale. It's great. Keeps the soil moist and you can paint it every year to refresh it. @Cory has some and it looks great.


Heh! Yep, looks plain alright! That's because it's... well... it's dirt! 

Now, look at krusej23's border planting. It's "okay," if you like mulch. Trimmed in stone.

I see that look everywhere. A vast expanse of mulch with a half-dozen plants. What's the point? To show off your mulching skills? He wins a prize! 

Now... don't nobody take offense... NONE is intended! Please! No offense! We all have our own tastes and time/money/interest level, right? My thread was inspired by another thread called something like, "To Mulch or Not to Mulch?"

I want a more formal English garden-type look. Lush, overflowing with green leaves of varying shapes and colors. A riot of color with perenials always in bloom like a fireworks show.. Straining to escape the garden bounds.

Maybe bordered with a tight hedge cut straight, square and low. Perhaps a full mound of Supertunias across the front, perenials out back... tall, sloping down to the border. Maybe a small meandering path with surprise garden ornaments... Perhaps a waterfall or fountain...

Why waste the space on mulch only to ponder... mulch or not to mulch... Rubber or stone... Paint? Stain? Fading? Replenish it? Arrrg! The weeds! Oh, my! Weeds in my rubber mulch! Oh, the HUMANITY!

My idea is I would never even SEE the ground or, if I did, I wouldn't even notice it. Certainly, the weeds would pass it by.

So, right now, I am experimenting with plants. How tall do they get? What grows well and where? What are their water/space/pest control requirements? I only want to do this once and then, come fall, cut 'em all down and in the spring, lay dow Preen and watch.

My problem right now is identifying weed from new "good plant" volunteer growth. I just bought 100 garden stake labels. That will help. Later, the plants I do have will crowd themselves like they did last year. This year, though, they will be strong enough to dig up and move.

I will also be able to tell when these suckers bloom and for how long. And then with this year's budget, buy complementary new plants.

I am tired of studying seed catalogs, bulb labels, and planning to start. Last year, the gloves came off. Just get on with it already! The Lord will sort it all out...

But that's just me... No Mulch Murphy.

Murph


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## krusej23

I have 29 plants in that bed, not a half dozen. I get what you are trying to say that you like a bed full of flowers. You start with some perennials and add more each year where you can. If I left it just dirt and no mulch, my dirt would wash away since it's 100% clay fill. To each their own but you are basically saying "no offense but your idea of a good landscape bed is not good enough". Just because you say "no offense" doesn't make it not offensive when you bash somebody's landscaping that I have put a lot of time into and patience waiting for small/affordable plants to get to mature size to decide what to do next.


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## BXMurphy

krusej23 said:


> "I have 29 plants in that bed, not a half dozen... Just because you say "no offense" doesn't make it not offensive when you bash somebody's landscaping that I have put a lot of time into and patience waiting for small/affordable plants to get to mature size to decide what to do next."


I knew it... I just KNEW it!<slapping my head> 

You asked how my mulch-free garden looked and I showed you. Pathetic, right? I'm ok with that. I'm putting in the time and effort just like you did. A multi-year project... like yours.

You will have mulch. Mine will not.

Your style house is suburban modern. Mine is a small, Cape Cod-style cottage built in 1930 on a city lot. I would DIE to have your space! I am jealous! What I could do with that one corner of yours...

You do you. I will do me. Mulch looks good on you. Not so much on me. What can I tell you? "To Mulch or Not to Mulch?..."

Do you not think your mulch bed looks better than my dirt bed? I have rocks, weeds, sticks and twigs. You are tidy, trim, and proper. Rejoice!

Let not your heart be troubled...

No Mulch Murphy.


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## pennstater2005

This thread seems to have run its course. I don't see it going anywhere except possibly becoming contentious. I'm locking it at least for now.


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