Tag: Mulch
New Toy for Garden Cleanup: Cordless Electric Leaf Mulcher
For a couple of years I hired a “green” landscaping company to do my spring cleanup, because: 1) spring is a busy season and it was hard to make the time; and 2) they promised to mulch all my leaves and garden debris. Well, they lied. What they meant was that they would cart off …
Greenwashed Landscaping
So last Friday I was really looking forward to a reunion with my garden after being away almost all week. A local landscaping company called Greenwise was supposed to have done the spring cleanup while I was gone, and I was eager to see everything nice and neat, along with whatever might be newly sprouting …
Night of the Living Mulch
So a little while back I came across this 2017 Washington Post article about using sedges (Carex) as a substitute for mulch.
Confessions of a Leaf Thief
Some people think that the proper way to tidy up the yard for fall is to rake or blow every single leaf into giant brown bags from Home Depot, said bags to be taken away by the city. This makes me insane. I mean, what a waste. Good soil needs organic matter. Leaves turn into …
Adventures in Soil Testing
So I’ve been taking a class called “Soil Basics” at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The instructor is Ellen Phillips, who has many years experience as a soil scientist in the US and overseas. (She’s an excellent teacher, and I recommend the class for those of you in the area.) As part of the class we …
gardeninacity 