Welcome back to Upstate! Here's my two cents on mulching:

You can mulch any time - it won't stop vigorous perennials like hosta from pushing through. A 2" layer would freshen up your gardens and be healthy for the plants if we have a dry summer. The mulch might inhibit some self-seeders, if you have any, but for perennials it should be fine. Just leave the crowns of any plants you can see free of mulch, or give them just a sprinkling to "camouflage" them so your mulch job doesn't look like it's full of holes. If you aren't sure of a plant's location, just use a lighter layer of mulch - you could add more later if you need to.

Don't rake up or disturb the old mulch - you'll bring weed seeds to the surface where they can sprout. Just put the new mulch on top of the old. And, if you buy your mulch in bulk, try to check the quality before you have it delivered if possible (by getting references or making a visit to the supplier) - you don't want a truck load of coarse bark chunks if you're expecting fine, attractive shredded mulch. (I had that happen - it was NOT a happy experience. . . .)

Have fun gardening!

Laurel

Laurel...thank you for the excellent advice! Which month do you typically apply the mulch for your garden?

When would be the time to apply preen? I would like to apply mulch in late April or early May--will preen be effective then?

Thank you so much! I do love being back in New York and all of the different plants I can have!

Mark

Usually I start mulching in early to mid April. But, this year I'm going to break my rule and start mulching next week. I'm going to have surgery in mid-April, and I won't be able to do heavy garden stuff for a while afterwards, so I want to get as much of the mulching as I can done before then. I'll just start with the area near the house (which thaws first every year, facing south), and work my way out into the yard. The plants will be just fine.

I've never used Preen, but it should say on the package directions when the most effective time to use it would be. It's a preemergent herbicide/germination inhibitor, isn't it? That would mean a late April/early May application would catch most weed seeds before they get going.

I love living in Upstate NY (well, except for the taxes, LOL!) - the climate and landscape suit me just fine. I am really looking forward to spring, and to my garden this year. Last year we added some new paths, a terrace and a patio, and a couple raised beds - this year I can fill in the plantings. The anticipation and planning is almost as much fun as the planting.

This summer you and your parents would probably enjoy seeing Letchworth State Park, down near Geneseo. It's REALLY LOVELY, especially the Wolf Creek picnic area, which used to be (and I hope still is) graced with a carpet of wild Trillium by the creek and waterfalls, and a steep but not too long walking trail to the edge of the canyon. And some of the best burgers I've ever had are at Tom Wahl's Burgers on Route 5 in Avon, NY (just off I390). I've heard that Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua is really wonderful to visit, too. (I went to college in Geneseo, and worked in Rochester for a while.)

Laurel

Welcome back! I lived in Florida for 4 years, but decided it was too hot, too humid, too crowded and way too buggy.

You can mulch soon, but it's not recommended.

I copied this directly from www.renegadegardener.com. It's a great site for good gardening advice.

Don't put mulch down around perennials until June 15.

Short and sweet, the rule is, in the north, wait until June 15. This is one of many facets of gardening in the north that is always ignored by national gardening magazines and books. They tell you to put a nice one- to two-inch layer of cocoa bean shells, or dried grass, shredded leaves, peanut husks, whatever, down around your plants "in the spring." Mulch keeps weeds down, keeps roots cool, and curtails evaporation so we don't have to water so often.

But this is the north. We need to wait until June 15 because it takes that long for the sun to get high and hot enough to sterilize our soil. Powdery mildew and a dozen other funguses aren't killed by our cold winters. They remain atop the soil. You want that soil blasted by sun before you mulch for the summer.

I know it's tempting to mulch right now, when perennials are small and it's easy to get the mulch down on the soil surrounding the plants. Sorry. June 15.

here's the clickable link. A great site.

Here is a link that might be useful: renegade gardener

Thanks for the advice, gottagarden! I didn't know about the "June 15" recommendation. I guess if I don't get it done early, it can wait without hurting anything (and probably helping in the long run). Still, I'll probably mulch the front bed by the house early - it gets sun-blasted from AM to PM all year, and at the moment it's REALLY REALLY bothering me.

Laurel

I'm usually so busy with planting, dividing, potting up for garden swaps, etc. that I usually can't get to it before then. Knowing that RG recommends 6/15 salves my guilty conscience!

Actually, the Renegade Gardener is geared toward zones 2-4, so you probably don't have to wait THAT late (June 15???) to mulch. I have mulched every spring in mid to late April for the past several years with no problem. I like the look of the freshly mulched beds and I do a lot less damage than I would if I was trying to get in between plants!

So I wouldn't worry about it. Mulch when the urge strikes, just as long as the ground has thawed and isn't still soggy :)

And welcome back from Florida. I can't imagine gardening down there in those horrid summers! Ugh!