Winter mulch is primarily to prevent the freeze/thaw cycle from damaging plants. If we have a snowless winter (which we did not) warm thaws can cause problems with our perennials. It will also protect plants that are less winter hardy. I bury my roses but do not mulch much as a rule. I let the stems stand a bit and they collect masses of blowing leaves, and then hope for good snow cover that lasts the duration. I have mulched in the past and find that it is a crap shoot either way, I have lost plants mulched and not mulched.

Helen.

Especially this winter, I think we have NOTHING to worry about. We had so much snow packed on, I do not believe this will be a true test of whether fall mulching is a notion worth continuing.
2 winters ago, however, I lost a LOT of plants that were not mulched at all.

To answer your question, I mulch once a year. In May/June after everything is up. I freshen up the mulch that has gone thin.

Melissa is right that this winter's continuous snow coverage is not a good test of mulch protection against the freeze thaw cycle.

I also mulch plants in the spring to conserve moisture and discourage weed growth so most of my plants go into winter with some mulch around the base. Just not the 6-12 inches that is often recommended and none over the crowns. When some plants set seed I remove much of the mulch around them to promote self seeding. Then those have no mulch over winter.

Like Helen I leave stems to catch snow and blown leaves.

I should have asked if plants growing in early spring due to no mulch grow as well as those plants that have been mulched. Does the new growth on the uncovered plants get frozen off and therefore set them back compared to covered plants?

It is difficult to know when the optimal time is to removed mulch. If not removed soon enough plants can get smothered or new growth under the mulch is so fragile it dies after being uncovered. I know that one is to remove mulch in layers but that rarely happens in my garden.

I think Helen is right that one can lose plants if they are covered or not. So is it worth the work, both in the fall
and spring? And the answer is probably different for each of us depending on how much risk we are willing to take.

The reason for asking the question is that as I am getting older and my gardens are getting larger I want to cut back on the amount of work but not in areas where it is really needed.

Not much of a mulcher, except for the Endless Summer hydrangeas.

At this point, I think any of the plants that are already showing a little green are very tolerant of freezing temps. Plants like the daylily, sedum, iris, aegopodium and some others have been showing green since shortly after the snow melt and have gotten through the freezing nights just fine. I might be more concerned after the predicted warm spell next week if significant freezing temps return after that.

Nope, never do. For a few reasons:
1. I'm lazy, mulching in the fall just seems to create way more work in the spring.
2. If we get a warm snap in the fall/early winter I've had more problems with rot or pests than I have from little snow cover.
3. I also grow a lot if iris and they don't like to be mulched over.
4. Did I mention I'm lazy?

The only winter cover my plants get is the leaves that fall on them. I leave those in place until spring. I have lost a plant or two each winter.

I live in the woods so we have TONS of leaves fall from the trees every fall. I usually take the leaf blower and blow all of the leaves from the grass onto the flower beds.

I do find that I have to rake them off fairly early in the spring because they are several feet deep. If I leave them on too long, I find rot and mold beneath.

I sometimes worry about raking the leaves off to early, but I have not really noticed any "casualties" from doing so.

In spring, I add fresh wood chip mulch to my beds once the plants are up. For aesthetics as well as moisture retention and weed control.

Linda