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Reflections.

© Gary Buckley

For the home enthusiast growing bulbs often means reading conflicting information. Depending upon which author or grower's notes one is reading, sometimes one is even left feeling wanting. It has helped both me and other readers, reading the discussions off this topic about the bulbs and corms we all grow.

With the population growing and as we age, domestic blocks are shrinking, as we all scale down to a size we can handle.

(The younger reader, will ask what the heck is he going on about.) Here, I suggest coming back in a couple of decades for your answer.

Space in a smaller garden is critical, so the choice of things grown should be considered very carefully.

I wish I could say I follow my own advise, but alas, we do not. I see a plant and bring it home hoping I can find a space for it.

We moved back to Tasmania thinking we could escape the heat of the Mainland and have a nice little garden like we used to have last time we lived here.

Since then, a lot has happened. The aging process seems to have taken at least two hours a day from us.

And we have to keep reminding ourselves that the climate even here, is warming up.

In the last seven months, we have tried several mulches and have again returned to hammer milled bark as the best to use.

Mulches suppress weeds when the mulch material itself is applied deeply enough to prevent weed germination or smother existing smaller weeds. An occasional weed may poke through the mulch, but it can be easily pulled out or sprayed with roundup.

Mulch materials have many beneficial effects upon the soil and plants. They prevent loss of water from the soil by evaporation. Moisture moves by capillary action to the surface and evaporates if not covered by a mulch. Mulching will prevent crusting of the soil surface, thus improving absorption and percolation of water into the - soil and at the - same time, eliminating erosion.

Maintenance of a more uniform - soil temperature can be obtained by mulching. The mulch acts as an insulator that keeps the - soil cool under intense -sunlight and warm during cold - spells.

Mulches also add to the beauty of the landscape by providing a cover of uniform color and interesting texture to an otherwise drab surface. Dark colored mulches widen the pupil of the eye, allowing more of the sensible light from flowers to enter the eye. Consequently, those dark mulches give plantings a more attractive appearance.

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