Mulch to Conserve Moisture and Suppress Weeds
A two-inch layer of organic mulch—shredded leaves, straw, or bark chips—around the base of your flowers locks in moisture and keeps competing weeds at bay. I mulch around my black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta, native to North America, non-invasive) in late May every year and spend far less time weeding during peak bloom!
Mulch also moderates soil temperature swings, protecting shallow roots from stress as nights cool and days heat up unpredictably. You’ll free yourself from daily weed patrols and give pollinators clear flight paths to your blossoms.