I would say that it would be fine to have it gradually shallower around the plants your planting...eventually theyre get big enough to shade in the vicinity...even if a weed happens to rear it ugly head...pull the sucker out or chop it off

Ann I'll add my 2 cents worth...

I'd say, forget about the mulch when you are planting. Plant all your plants at the ideal level, so that the potted plant soil-level is even with the ground level.

Once that's done, add your mulch. Remember mulch is not soil or compost. So it can grow around the plant. SInce it breaths, it won't interfear with the plant as long as you don't cover the leaves. WHere as with soil or compost, it would cause a problem around the stem.

Lastly, sounds like you will have a lot of work ahead of you to keep weeds back. I would recomend covering your beds with newspaper or cardboard before adding the mulch. That'll give you a nice weed barrier that should last a good while.

Happy gardening!

First of all, there are no dumb questions! Just info you have yet to know.

You can go 2 different ways.
#1 mulch and then scrape it back where you want to put a plant.

#2 plant your plants and cover them with an unside down pot, spread the mulch around it and then pull up the pot.
Either way you don't want the mulch touching the stem/trunk of a plant as this may cause rot of the bark.

I hope this helps.

No answer, just a comment. For every post on here, I bet that there are a few people that are afraid to post because they think it is a dumb question. I've found the folks on here to be very nice and patient with those of us who aren't very expert and/or non native Texans.

jtyrie,
Yes, the folks here are nice, that's why I felt free to ask a dumb question.
Thanks all, for the answers.