I have repeatedly chastised people (silently) who volcano mulch their trees with either rocks or mulch. Surrounding the base of a tree doesn't allow it to breathe and invites rot and insect activity. So one day, as I'm looking at the overgrowth mess at the base of our giant Chinese Elm we love so much in the backyard, I realized with a shock, that I am GUILTY of a version of volcano mulching that didn't enter my pea brain. In my case, it's putting potted plants at the base of the tree, allowing debris to pile up. Allowing too many spider plants to take over and suffocate the base - not to mention just covering up any other decorative elements. So with the zest of a born again gardener, I have started the process of clearing out and sprucing up. Naturally this project was begun during the hottest weeks we've had to date because why not? Nothing like working up a good sweat, right?
This does have a certain charm, until you look closely and realize certain things are not thriving by being choked out.
As I pulled pots away from the base, the amount of leaf buildup was a bit unnerving. Poor tree was gasping. You can see the dark band at the base of the tree. Not good.
Another view of the overgrowth. The large blue pot held plants that had been knocked over in the wind/firestorm we had in January and were not thriving. In remaking the area, high winds, which now seem to be a given, are being taken into account.
This is as far as the rehab goes so far. Still thinking how to finish off this area without choking the tree and allowing other plants to thrive. A work in progress.
