Yes, mulch is a good thing.

Agreed Jean001, mulch is a very good thing...

Blutranes

Mulches 1) aid in preventing "weed" growth, 2) aid in retaining soil moisture, 3) aid in keeping the soil plants grow in cooler (because of the higher moisture levels), and 4) add organic matter to the soil which helps improve the soils tilth (workability) so there is no downside to mulching. 1 to 2 inches will not do much, however, and the depth for best results should be 3 to 4 inches. Now mulches very often create the best environment for grasses to grow in so the best way to keep most all grasses out of a planting bed is with good barriers that will stop the grass roots from invading that bed.

Mulch is a good thing for the roses and mums.

But, I removed the hardwood mulch around my hostas. When I had them nicely mulched ... I had lots of slugs. Since my hostas are mostly in total shade I removed the mulch and my slug problem went away. I water them a little more during hot spells but that beats using slug poison or hunting slugs at 11PM with a flashlight (and 2 hands) ... and a heavy coating of mosquito repellent. (grin)

This was my experience your results might vary.

I second that about mulch and slugs. I have mulch everywhere but my hosta beds. I planted sweet woodruff as groundcover there, which helps to crowd out new weeds but doesn't affect the hostas.

Here's a rather random question, while we're on the topic...

I've got a garden bed started that is semi/full-shade under a copse of cedars and while I'm not a huge fan of mulching - especially colored mulches, I think for the sake of water retention, I'm going to have to.

Question: Can I use "soil amendments" as my mulch, specifically the shredded hardwood that I bought to loosen up/amend my clay based soil?

The reason I ask is because I would like something that will be very fast composting and not be that much distinguishable from the soil. The weeding, not much so far, I don't mind doing, this is just to help conserve moisture...

<shrug>

Thanks in advance...

You can use whatever you like and have on hand. Mulch is a pretty generic term for anything that is used as a soil topdressing. It gan be richly organic - like the compost I use to mulch with - or entirely inorganic, such as lava rock, shredded tires or gravel. Even living mulches like groundcovers or anything else that covers the soil surface will reduce evaporation and conserve moisture, insulate against temperature fluctuations and help to slow weed growth. Bare soil will not remain bare for very long.....:-)

Mulch is a term that descibes any material that is placed on the soils surface and that can be any kind of material whether is is sold in bags marked "mulch" or "soil Amendment".
Soil amendments are any material that are mixed into the soil and can be any materail including the stuff that is labeld "mulch".
Compost can be a soil amendment (mixed into the soil) or a mulch (layed on top of the soil), shredded leaves can be a soil amendment or a mulch, depending on how they are applied to the soil.

Compost from a local yardwaste recycling center will have mixed input resulting in compost with everything your soil needs. Use it as mulch and forget all the rest of worrying about what your soil needs. You have placed everything the soil needs on the surface and the soil organisms will take care of the rest.

Ditto what everyone advises.

Use that mulch!!

Yep, I've had problems with attracting slugs when mulching around hosta. Slugs are ravenous little creatures. However, for the first year (and maybe even the second year), I'd do some light mulching anyway until the hostas get established.

After that, the hostas would be capable of handling a lack of mulch, unless they get too much sun exposure. If you have some old containers that aren't too deep, you could set them in the ground so that the tops are at ground level, then put some beer in them. The slugs will fall in and die. Empty tuna cans, tops of mayonnaise jars...anything that will hold a bit of the beer will work.

You can use the cheapest beer you can find, probably domestic -- hey, the slugs are cheap dates -- and they'll head right into the beer. You won't get every slug, but you can stop most of them until your hostas get established.

Of course, if you have a beer-loving dog or a naughty adolescent around, you might want to try something else. :-)

Cheers!

I mulch around my hostas and they definitely prefer it. The slugs were the bane of my existance before I learned about Starbucks on Gardenweb. A little coffee sprinkled around the hostas keeps the slugs away. Woohoo!

This my mulching system: In the fall I apply 3" 1/2 finished compost, in the spring as I have access to a supply of cardboard which I use as the next layer & apply 1" to 2" of finished compost. Primary compost ingredients are coffee grounds and leaves, on top of that I apply hay, usually salt marsh, in varying thicknesses. For the veg garden these layers total about 8", for more formal beds as roses and annuals I use a thin layer of hay & buckwheat hulls to finish, for larger bed of lilacs I finish off with crushed leaves. In some areas I donÂt mulch other than compost, but use plants such as ferns & lilies of the valley to hide the soil & combat weeds.
I attempt to be "organic", but all I want is to be surrounded by healthy plants; I'm slowly getting there with the help of this web site. It was a bit of work, so next year who knows what I'll do.

Thanks for all the tips. Its been just two weeks since I planted all my Hostas. I'm plannning to use pine straw or cocoa mulch. Should I wait till fall to mulch or is it ok to mulch right away. Hostas are still small and haven't established yet.

Mulching now will be much more beneficial for you Hostas than waiting because you will provide them with a soil that is more evenly moist (which promotes healthier growth), that is less likely to heat up from any sun exposure (which promotes healthier growth), and will help keep any "weeds" from germinating (which means your Hostas need not compete for available soil nutrients).
Yes, mulching can mean an increase the population of slugs, and other insect pests, but it will encourage beneficial and predatory insects and other critters to take up residence and help control these pests. If you do not make a good, attractive habitat for the predators to live in, including a food source, they will not move in.