Mulch or plant first

[juststarting]

Hello everyone,

I know this is a very rookie question. I have searched and cannot find a thread on this anywhere. When you are planting new flowers and putting down new mulch, do you plant your flowers or mulch first? It seems to me, that it would be easier and faster to mulch first and then plant, but I am not sure that you get good root to soil contact if you mulch first. Again, I apologize for such a rookie question. Thank you for any advice you can give.

[work it]

Plant first and then mulch. If you mulch first then you have to move the mulch out of the way before planting and then move it back in place.

[treedoc1]

I plant tree's and other woodies first then mulch the area.
Perennials and annual flowers get planted after mulching....they don't get broken by the spreading of the mulch.

[work it]

I yet have to break a plant from spreading mulch, but I don't just throw shovel loads into flower beds.

juststarting, you're going to have to do a little experimenting to find some techniques that work best for you. You're also going to have to experiment with different tools (shovels, pitch forks, rakes) to find what you're most comfortable using.

[juststarting]

Thanks guys. Treedoc, what you do is more on the lines of what I was thinking. It is pretty easy to spread the mulch around trees and larger plants after they are planted, but I always have a tuff time trying to spread around small annuals and flat size flowers. Thanks again guys.

[Seascape]

Annuals mulch first,,, all other material mulch after.