I have been concerned that some of the plants are not doing well because they are planted in the midst of peastone. I wanted to create small mulch circles around them (some older plants, some newer ones) so that they would benefit from the decaying matter on top.
The two dwarf Azaleas along side the inner front gate entrance are a good example. The leaf color has been off all year, and they have grown in a very sparse way. Most likely this is a combination of not enough sunlight and poor soil quality.
Currently, the peastone is not helping the soil around the plants to become nutrient rich. I also do not want to depend too heavily on fertilizers for these plants, so the mulch should go a long way to help.
It also looks nicer as well. The trick will be to keep the surrounding peastone out of the mulch beds.
