What Is The Best Mulch To Use In Los Angeles?
In L.A. What is the Best Mulch to Use?
If you’re anything like me, you’ve noticed the barren, compacted parkways all around L.A. Most of them have at least some plant life, some have trash, others nothing at all. Just sun-baked, bleached dirt. My guess is that most of you reading this are not quite as nerdy as I am about the health of our parkways. Like, you may never have asked what is the best mulch to use in your yard or the planting strip out front of your house or apartment, known as a parkway. Technically, the city owns parkways, but citizens must maintain them. Perhaps where we can come together is that parkways could stand a makeover. I’m here to share my techniques for revitalizing the parkways of L.A., cheaply and with little work on your part.
The methods I use with my clients are super simple, yet they, like most Permaculture techniques, pack a massive punch. In the field, ecological designers like me call this sort of approach, where minimal effort produces maximum results, a fulcrum move. The idea is that a fulcrum moves only a little at the joint, but at its end it swings wide. In other words, you put in little work to effect a change, but the landscape jumps into action and sweeping change is the result. Another great benefit of using fulcrum moves like the ones I’m going to share with you here, is that your costs are reduced. That’s right, your water bill will go down, and if you pay a “mow, blow, and go” landscaper, you won’t need them to maintain your parkway as much, if at all.
If this sounds good to you, read on.
The best rendition of the state of the world and its solutions available so far is the brilliant documentary Thrive. At a time when it has become a battle to access pure drinking water, organic food, basic housing, jobs, and energy, this film packages reams of research into a balanced narration that anyone can understand.