Question
Hello.  My wife planted some bulbs in our flower garden last weekend (she said about 1/2" to 1" of dirt over top of the bulbs).  She now asked me to mulch the garden which we have never done before.  I got a load of black compost mulch to spread but I wanted to make sure that the bulbs would still come up if I put the mulch on top, or if we need to wait until the bulbs have come up through to add the mulch (weeks i assume).  Also, the garden center where I got the mulch suggested 3" of mulch.  Do you agree or is this too much?

Thanks for your help.

Ryan

Answer
What a great idea you have to spend your summer.  Mulch does look beautiful around flowers in the summer and it is a terrific way to keep weeds from taking over the place.

Three inches is a solid thick mulch.  You can get by with less.  But you can follow their specs which are more expensive; me, I like to save money.  I am very cheap.

However, I am a little concerned about the depth you chose to plant these bulbs.  If you would not mind telling me what exactly you decided to plant with a half inch to one inch of soil over the top, I will be able to get more sleep this week.  And maybe even give you more advice about this.  A half inch over a bulb is not much.  Lots of seeds get a half inch.

All of which means that 3 inches of mulch over a half inch of soil is pretty lean.

And those bulbs will be up and running any second now.  You'll be amazed at how fast things grow in June with all this rain and sunshine.  That's the way God planned it,

rsvp,

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER