Waiting is a great idea....except that March might be a little too soon to lay mulch down. Now, before any reader goes off half-kocked, better to learn and understand why we mulch...for what purpose. If we blieve its for conservation of moisture, of retaining temperature to improve chances of newly planted plants to set roots, to offer resistance to weeds, then we have to assume that the other side of the question is what we are trying to deprive. Loss of moisture--in March there is ample snow-melt and the coming of spring rains. So that argument is out the window. The soil is well moisturized from snow-melt occuring through winter's thaw/freeze cycles. Temperature retention: In March, there isn't much temperature to retain and if we consider there is an awful lot of moisture in the ground that we want to dry up some, then putting mulch over such wetness doesn't really prove beneficial---except to not let such moisture excape and where it matters, in some soils, the ground keeps an awful lot of sogginess contrary to what plants want. Weeds: Weeds do begin to come alive in early spring...they come alive but are not active until the soil warms up and the sun has an effect to make them grow. Much like our lawns don't begin to grow in earnest until the soil warms...50...55...60 degrees. Unless you are in a more southern clime, our soils don't warm up until well into late April and May. Mulch doesn't really have to be given our gardens until May and into June to do what we want it to do. But, according to your own design on what your mulch is wanted to do, please yourself. Now, if on the other hand, you were to plant something NOW...and into the coming weeks, you would wish to hold up the temperature as long as possible to give the new plant time to set roots before the onset of freezing temps and snow-cover. In that case, mulching a plant is good thinking. But, keep the mulch away from the tender stems. Mulch can be the nesting site of many bugs and disease that find tender plants much to their liking. Earwigs, for example, find mulch a great place to nest in--its wet, its dark and its homey. Depending on the amount of layer, mice too might nest in it. I've found, however, they prefer my compost pile and I've made entry into it quite easy with holes in the sides of the bin.

I used to think you couldn't plant in the heat. You can pot up any own root rose in hot weather and locate it where it gets some afternoon shade. YOu can mulch the pot and keep it moist. If you plant in the garden in heat you can ease the transition by giving it dappled light for several days or a week. I stick evergreen branches around the plant to create a little shade for a short period until it settles in. This works in NC where it gets in the 90's. I don't know how well it would work in TX or AZ. NJ it could work. I think rainfall is more crucial than low temps and you can simulate rainfall. Linda

Kristin, I think you could probably get away with moving him now if you did it very soon. You would also want to water very well the day before and take the largest clump of dirt you can manage. Try to not break apart the dirt ball and keep him well watered once replanted. If he is going into a spot with hot afternoon sum some temporary shade would really help as well. I prefer to move in the spring when they are still dormant but that is tricky sometimes as you wait and wait for the ground to thaw and then quickly try to get all the moves done before they break dormancy. I have had good results with planting &/or moving right up until mid August at about the latest. As far as Quadra, you will love this one. Height is about 6' and repeat is good (for an explorer ;-)) if you feed him well. The bloom colour and form are wonderful. How far from trellis??? maybe someone else can give you a proper answer. I'm afraid I cram them in wherever I can, I have a some climbers in a bed that is only about 12" wide. I just have to train/prune based on available space, and concentrate on going for width. Cathy

Beware... mulch in the fall sends a signal for all the neighborhood voles and their pals to spend winter there and disturb/destroy your plants. The conventional wisdom is to wait til the ground freezes. But that's not always practical. Pretty cold to work outdoors in December! I made a conscious choice last fall to mulch a bed where I just had done a lot of moving and dividing. I lost about 1/3 of the bed to voles. Although I may have lost some anyhow. THere was a lot of snow cover too, which voles like. If you planted shrubs and trees or large perennials, you may be okay to put a thin layer of mulch down. But small plants are at risk to not survive even a little vole damage. On the other hand, small plants are at risk without mulch their first winter. The joys of gardening... LOL If I have new at-risk babes, I try to remember to save a bucket or so of mulch in the garage and mulch them in December. Hmmmm... thanks for the reminder.. I will have to go take inventory of such candidates