Rubber Mulch, Love it Or Hate It???

     The other day while driving through Boerne I saw a truck advertising Rubber Mulch. I had almost forgotten that it existed until then.It got me thinking of the different uses and purposes that it served. Most ideal for someone who was looking for a greener way to garden, or to use as an alternative for rock and soil under their childrens playsets. In this blog I'm going to go over both the pro's and con's of using rubber mulch, as well as give you our experts opinion on whether it is the best choice for your garden.

Some of the pro's of using rubber mulch is that it is an eco-friendly way of gardening. Most rubber mulch is made from recycled tires and other items that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Rubber Mulch offers other advantages over wood mulch because it is not porous and will not soak up the water as it travels through the soil. It protects against fungus growth and can stop the growth of weeds, as their seeds will dry up before they ever reach the soil. Rubber nuggets in the mulch also help insulate the soil by adding a 2-3 degree difference in temperatures as compared with wood soil. So not only are we reducing our carbon foot print,but we're helping moisturize our soil, and protect our gardens from weeds. It's easy to find, located at most gardening and home improvement stores. 

 Rubber mulch is a great soloution for playgrounds. 

**Please note that if using rubber mulch for your childs playground that the rubber may contain latex which can be irritable to some childrens skin.**

Ok, here are the con's. Some of the rubber may contain chemicals which can be toxic to your plants and even to your pets. Rubber mulch is also easy to ignite, and if ignited is much harder to extinguish than if you were to use and organic mulch.  While reading an online article by Mike McGrath, from you bet your garden he was much on the opposing side of using rubber mulch. Stating that " You'll pay to get rid of your old tires and then buy them back once someone has grinded and dyed them and calls it mulch." Another  reason to stay away from rubber mulch is that off putting aroma that summer time brings!

From our expert point of view we would direct you to go with an organic mulch or compost. The reasons being is that compost is a natural way to help strengthen your soil, and the compost decomposes it fills the soil with nutrients to make your plants strong and healthy. It's a great way to recycle food and fall leaves and has a beautiful, natural look. Best reason of all, you can do it for free!! 

You can decide which you prefer and don't forget to answer our poll on the front page, letting us know how you feel!

All information was comprised from wikipedia/rubber mulch, gardensalive.com/articerubbermulch, and from our own knowledge bank. 

My Top Ten Favorite Flowers For Winter

It's November and winter is well on it's way for the great state of Texas, but you've still got time to plant a beautiful garden that won't be bothered by the low temperatures.



1. Allysum- The flower offers a sweet aroma, and will flower from fall into summer. It serves as a great border plant that will typically cascade over your containers or borders. This is a low maintenance flower that only requires being watered once a week after being established.

2, Cyclamen - This flower comes in many bright colors and will flower freely. To see the best results you'll need to remove the buds of spent flowers in order for it to form more flowers.

3. Pansy - Pansies come in an array of beautiful colors that can brighten even the coldest of winter days. They are low maintenance,  and flower freely. Fun Fact : Pansies are an edible flower that can be served in salads.

4. Petunia - This flower is a garden favorite as it is very fragrant and can thrive in temperatures as low as 20 degrees. It's best to be planted in a container so that if the temperatures drop below 20 degrees you can bring it inside and continue to grow until the winter has passed. 

5.  Snap Dragons - A free growing flower that will sometimes recede and come back on it's own. For best results remove the spent buds to promote growth for new flowers. Fun Fact : The term " green thumb " comes from pinching off the buds of spent flowers between your thumb and fore finger. 

6. Calendula - The Calendula is a wonderful flower with many uses other than decorating your garden. Did you know that Calendula extract has been used to treat acne as it reduces the inflamation of tissue. It has also been used to treat abdominal cramps and constipation. This flower is also edible and can be used in salads or in place of saffron. 

7. Bluebonnet - As the state flower of Texas the blue bonnet, can be seen growing naturally all over our great state.  You can collect seeds that have fallen and save them for the following year.  They are  very low maintenance as they were made especially for growing in Texas. They are also available for purchase at nurseries. If you plant them in the fall, the will be ready for bloom in the spring.

8. Dianthis - Another garden classic, often reffered to as "pinks" due to it's bright color. A high performance flower that can sometimes bloom for up to two years. These plants must be "dead headed",  the process of removing the spent buds to enable the growth of new plants. 

9. Johnny Jump Ups - This flower is a miniature pansy and is a free flowering plant. Johnny Jump Ups serve as great border plants and will almost always reseed themselves for the following season. 

10.  Stock - A generally over looked flower, the stock is generally used in floral arrangement's because of it's intense fragrance and beautiful look.