Fabric showing?
Seeing fabric in your beds means that it’s time to refresh your garden with a new application of mulch. Organic mulches break down, and, landscapers like me, sometimes remove it during routine maintenance work. It obviously doesn’t last forever.
Now, if you live in a strata and Proper Landscaping is your service provider, contact your strata council and get Proper Landscaping to bring in more mulch. If there is no budget, you might be able to pay for it yourself and still get Proper Landscaping to bring it in and install it.
Upsell
In my own private side-hustle, seeing this makes me happy because I can upsell my client. And in this case, he agreed, but he insisted on waiting until spring. No problem. I can wait.
The benefits of mulch are many. This corner is right by the entrance so it’s high profile, and it should look good. I will install one and half yards of mulch in the front beds, which will make it look nice and fluffy. But don’t panic because the mulch settles.
Aside from covering up ugly black fabric, the mulch also keeps moisture in. And that benefits the hydrangea and two rhododendrons planted in this bed. A nice, thick layer of mulch (2 inches or more) also keeps weeds down. Not that weeds are a problem because this client pays for regular maintenance.
Logistics
Let your client decide what type of mulch he wants. I prefer the dark aged mulch, but my client likes the reddish brown stuff. You can have the mulch delivered to your driveway in a truck. Some companies will drop off a one yard bag with a crane, which is neater but more expensive. Not that truck deliveries are cheap; the cost $75 and up.
There will be minimal wheelbarrow movement because the beds are right by the entrance. I suggest putting down a large tarp so there is less clean up work to do.
This particular mulch job is small so I estimated one yard, and added one half just to be safe. It should last for a few years so it’s not a huge expense. You can expect to pay about $40 per yard. For bigger jobs multiply the area times thickness, 2-3 inches at least. Don’t go cheap, go deep.
I can’t wait to get this small project done. I know the owner will be happy. His shrubs flower nicely every summer and this should make them happy.
If you’re new to landscaping side-hustles, remember to look for upsell opportunities. If you live in a strata complex, don’t tolerate visible fabric in your garden beds. Ask your landscaper to top it up.
