Mulch now for summer ease

Spring is slip sliding into summer temperatures, and gardening season is in full swing. Raking, clipping, bagging, and hauling debris from perennial beds is just step one, though. Step two is fertilizing with a slow-release, granular fertilizer. Enough, you say.

Not quite. While the air is crisp and bugless, take advantage of this weather to mulch. Mulching properly now will mean more fun this summer -- less weeding and less watering. Consider mulching a smart, preemptive strike to stop weeds before they get a roothold. So clean out the wheelbarrow and enlist several strong arms to hoist, haul, and carefully apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch between annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees. Just be sure not to pile it up against trunks, crowns, and stems or you'll invite decay. Leave several inches between the bases of plants and the mulch.
 
Read more tips on the National Gardening Association website.