Creating Green (Living) Mulch in Old Fashioned Gardens

Granny’s Garden was never designed with a pollinator, bird, or even child in mind.  It was utilitarian and, let’s face it… boring.  Yet often there are excellent elements to work with that will change the yawn-worthy spectacle to vibrant glory that will draw birds and butterflies by the ton.

Granny’s Garden!  This is absolutely classic 1950’s landscaping.  Two trees in the front yard, evergreen shrubs have the house surrounded. Even the homeowner hates this yard. Still, a few tweaks and this yard would come to life– quite literally.

Consider the “bones” of your yard or just look at the picture above.  Imagine gardens that reached out from the shrubs to encircle those glorious trees.¹  Festoon those beds with native charmers like violets and other easy going natives, and the yard’s from-the-street view so beloved of realtors would suddenly look modern and welcoming. (As it is, viewing this, wouldn’t you suppose it needs renovation inside as much as outside?)  Many natives are just fine with the relatively dry and shady areas under trees.

A couple of tweaks, that’s all.  Native species are needed here, but there are some already.  Those large trees are native Maples (you can tell, there’s grass growing under them.  Nothing grows under invasive Norway Maples), and, while the shrubs are nothing to write home about, they’re also nothing to freak out about.

Perhaps some low growing native shrubs to make a border hedge along the road.  Or use native flowers to accomplish the same goal.  Baptisia, Amsonia, Black Eyed Susans, even some shorter native grasses like Oat Grass or Pink Muhly Grass would edge to the street nicely while keeping the original landscaping intact. 

Baptisia isn’t really a shrub, but it can take the place of one easily.  Here Baptisia blooms happily where most would plant boring landscape shrubs. Baptisia is a “woody perennial.”  It makes a beautiful, easily managed hedge, too.

Along the side yards, some blooming shrubs or pretty grasses would make a nice hedge, and separate the yard from the neighbor’s path through their lawn.  The hedges could lead gently from the house to the street, where, perhaps, a short flowering tree could start them from the street in style.  The same plan could grace the other side near the driveway.

Here a newly planted border hedge of summer blooming Shrubby St. John’s Wort attracts butterflies, to the delight of family and guests.

A pretty sideyard/street “triangle” Earth Bed could really spruce up and modernize the look.  Have the side hedge lead into a triangle shaped Earth Bed, where the flowering tree is underplanted with blooms of all sorts. 

Here a newly planted Earth Bed in a triangle shape adds interest and fun to a front yard.   Note the trees, shrubs, and violets which will fill in the entire area in a few years, so no mulch will be required!

Within a few years that boring 1950’s yard could be entirely spectacular!  It would also attract more birds and butterflies than ever before.  The house would still be visible from the street, but look so very much more modern and cared for.

And suddenly, there would be living mulch replacing the exhausted lawn, with all the healthy-for-the-Earth benefits that come with it.

It’s so entirely doable.

More tricks of the trade

Many, many natives are fully adapted to growing in all sorts of light conditions.  In fact, “Full sun to part shade” is a common description.  Remember - Full Sun is only  4 - 6 hours of direct sunlight a day.  It doesn’t have to be all-day sun!

Underplant those shrubs with low growing natives

For Shade:  — Here’s a few!  There are many.  Shade offers a large array of shorter growing plants.  

Wild Sweet William - Phlox divaricata

Dwarf Iris - Iris verna

Round Lobed Hepatica - Hepatica nobilis

Goldenseal - Hydrastis canadensis

Bluets, Quaker Ladies - Houstonia caerulea

Spring beauty - Claytonia virginica

Violets - many

Here Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) grows happily near and under foundation shrubs.

For Sun: Here’s a few!  There are many, although fewer than shade.

Moss Phlox - Phlox subulata 

Wild Pink - Silene caroliniana

Violets - many

Leonard’s Scullcap – Scutellaria parvula

Shrubs - too many to count.  Talk with Master Gardeners or Native Plant nurseries.  

Plants that will easily replace shrubs to make nice foundation plantings or hedges:

Pink Muhly Grass is spectacular in fall bloom.  It makes a lovely “hedge.”

Pink Muhly Grass - Muhlenbergia capillaris

Amsonia - Amsonia tabernaemontana – Eastern Blue Star 

Baptisia - Baptisia australis (Blue) and Baptisia tinctoria (yellow)

Perforate St. John’s Wort - Hypericum perforatum

Truly, it’s easy to replace Granny’s Garden with a vibrant, Earth Friendly, attractive landscape full to the brim with living mulch– and all the birds, bees, and butterflies that will attract.  

1. To replace grass around the base of trees with a garden you will need to kill back the grass first.  RESIST all temptation to till the grass under!  Very likely you will kill the tree doing this, if you can even accomplish it.  To kill the grass, mow it as short as possible.  Then cover the area with a layer of wet cardboard and a light layer of mulch.  RESIST all temptation to pile the mulch on heavily to kill that grass dead!  You may kill the poor tree.  Trees generally enjoy a light layer of mulch, and they really love living mulch, but “smothering mulch” can smother the tree as well as the lawn you’re trying to get rid of.  Or, if you like, mow the grass super short and spray what’s left with vinegar (harsher chemicals can easily kill the tree, too).  You’ll have to repeat the spraying, maybe even the mowing, but over the course of a season you’ll have enough bare ground to plant in and that grass will be on its way out permanently.  It takes a season to clear any lawn area for a useful garden, anyway.

In all cases, ensure that no planting or deep mulching occurs within a foot or so of the trunk, and make sure that at all times you can see the “root flare.”

More information:                                                                                                 https://www.midwestgardentips.com/pests-problems/planting-under-mature-trees