Follow nature’s lead — and even leave some leaves where they fall.

Local garden guru Christina Pfeiffer maintains that proper mulching is the secret to beautiful gardens. Pfeiffer, a professional horticulturist and popular garden educator, recommends mulching the soil like nature does. Most home landscapes are a mix of trees, shrubs and perennials, conditions most like a woodland where coarse materials, like fallen leaves and twigs, gradually decompose into a fine-textured, biologically rich layer of humus.

“A fine textured surface materials [like compost or fine bark] might look pretty at first, but it’s also friendly to weed seed germination,” Pfeiffer says. Furthermore, compost can crust over and prevent water and oxygen from penetrating the soil. However, compost is an excellent amendment when worked in or layered on the surface of the soil beneath a coarse mulch.

Coarse textured materials, like wood chips that are at least ½-inch in diameter, applied 2 to 4 inches deep, will effectively shade out seed germination and suppress weeds. Chunky materials won’t crust and in fact form channels that help direct moisture into the soil. A coarse layer, about 3 to 4- inches, of organic mulch helps to reduce storm runoff and prevents soil compaction during the rainy season.

Now is a good time to examine your soil, lightly stir the surface with a hoe or garden fork to break up any crusting and lay down coarse mulch. Arborist wood chips are a good source of coarse mulch, but not everyone has room for a huge load. Of course, you can share with neighbors, but for most of us, commercially bagged chips, or a more modest bulk delivery from a local soils yard is a good strategy. Pro tip: Taper mulch around the trunks of trees and shrubs to prevent damage to the wood.

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GROW in The Seattle Times