1.   A three-inch winter mulch is a good idea.

2.   But in most cases, winter mulch is insurance against too-abrupt warming of the soil.

3.   Had she pulled back the winter mulch too soon?

4.   In the flower bed below the deck, where she could delight in their color, promising green daffodil shoots nudged through the winter leaf mulch.

5.   Mulch The counterintuitive truth about winter mulch is that its purpose is to keep plant roots cold rather than warm.

6.   Most varieties are perfectly hardy, but gardeners in harsh climates should give the thyme a loose winter mulch of evergreen branches to prevent the foliage from drying out.

7.   Remove the rest of the winter mulch and fertilize perennials as they start to grow.

8.   Some perennial vegetables and fruits will benefit from a winter mulch as well.

9.   These all make great winter mulches, and they slowly enrich the soil.

10.   Too much winter mulch or compost will stew existing butterfly weed plants and prevent seed germination.