Now that the native and low-water-use plants in front of our house are well established, I almost never need to water or tend to them. A couple of times a year, I prune some of the bushier plants back, and when it gets really hot and dry in the summer, I might give them an occasional deep soak. But, that's pretty much it. Despite my neglect, the plants are healthy and hearty and flower on a regular basis. It's great. I highly recommend xeriscaping your yard.
Last week, Dakota stopped by a lot downtown that offers free mulch, courtesy of the The Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation. They give away mulch and compost at several sites around the city. You can find a location near you here. Dakota filled up a few plastic bins worth, the perfect amount to cover our two small paths.
The mulch itself is very decomposed. It smells more like compost than pine trees, although the scent has faded now that it's been on the paths for a week. While the chunkier, bark-filled mulch might look and smell a bit better, this stuff worked out fine (and did I mention it was free?). I suspect the city lets it decompose more to kill all the weed seeds that are likely mixed in with the tree trimmings.
Before spreading the mulch, I lay down some pieces of cardboard to provide an additional weed barrier. I didn't cover everything perfectly, but, as you know, I'm in a lazy gardening phase. I honestly think the combination of random pieces of cardboard and a thick layer of city mulch should work pretty well for a while. I guess we'll find out this coming spring.
And you can't beat free. Thanks for the tips!
I've been getting free compost from that lot for a year. They are great, but the hours are wacky. The hours listed on the website are never quite right. Also, folks should know to bring their own shovels and a tarp to cover their flatbed (if that's what they're using)> Love the blog!