Re: CULT: Pine needles

Pine straw is a good mulch, especially for acid loving plants. It is
great for azaleas, box and camellias. It holds up longer than the
hardwood mulch I usually use and doesn't suck up as much nitrogen. It is
light and usually slow to decompose. It is also easy to remove. On the
downside, strong winds can move it around a little. The only reason I
don't use it is because it is not readily availabe here. My brother in
South Carolina only uses pine straw mulch and his garden is spectacular.
Ellen's observation that the Japanese iris tend to eat it up is probably
due to the obligatory moisture needed to keep JI happy. I would not
hesitate to use pine straw to prevent heaving on a new bed of TB's, but
I would be sure to remove it by late March.

I think Al's observation about pine straw is probably more attributable
to trying to grow iris under a pine tree than to pine straw. 

R. Dennis Hager
on Delmarva
where hardwood bark is the garden mulch of choice, only because of
availability.
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index