Nature’s Mulch

Dr. Gary Bachman: It's December and Mother Nature's at work in our gardens and landscapes today on Southern Gardening.

Announcer: Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Dr. Gary Bachman: There's one landscape activity that has no time deadline, and with the cooler weather, it's a good time for us to apply a layer of mulch. And when you think about it, this is the time of year that Mother Nature mulches her garden. I'm always in awe of the job that Mother Nature does mulching the landscape. While these materials may not be as effective as our traditional mulching products, they sure do look good. Here's a couple of examples. If you're fortunate enough to have planted camellias in your landscape, you get a double treat. The flowers, of course, are the main show from late fall, early spring, but if you're patient and lucky, you get another colorful treat. As the flower petals fall, they will create a very vibrant mulch from pure white to rosy pinks and bright reds, depending on the variety.

Dr. Gary Bachman: Another example of Mother Nature's mulching can be found under Bald Cypress trees. The plantings we have at the Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi are outstanding. The summer foliage is a light green color that changes to a golden to rusty brown before falling off in the winter and creating a finely textured feathery layer of mulch. As much as I like this tree, I won't promote it for the normal home landscape. It will just get too big, and those knees will pop up everywhere and create maintenance issues. So enjoy the work that Mother Nature does in the garden. She makes it look so easy. I'm Horticulturist, Gary Bachman, for Southern Gardening.

Announcer: Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.