The United States of Mulch. Why do we use too much mulch? What is the alternative?
One of the idiosyncrasies of the built American landscape is our fascination with mulch. It’s in our yards and gardens; it is in the parking lots of our fast food chains and grocery stores; and it is in our airports and along our highways. We spread it everywhere. We spread it thickly.
Our use of mulch is so ubiquitous and so frequent, it is easy to forget how unusual this habit is. Traveling through Europe or Asia, however, the contrast is clear. In most other countries, it is the plants themselves that occupy the most space; here, however, mulch is often even more visually dominant than the plants themselves. I remember a friend from Europe asking me once, “Why are Americans so proud of their mulch?” At the time, it had not really occurred to me that we use mulch more than other parts of the world, but slowly I too began to see that he was right. What is curious to me is that our mulch addiction is not limited to socioeconomic class or status. The liberal use of mulch is as prevalent on wealthy estates as it is on strip malls and tract housing. And it has little to do with training. Thick blankets of mulch are specified by landscape architects as often as maintenance crews.
Where do we get this peculiar habit? Perhaps part of the issue is that mulch is abundant and cheap. We’ve always had lots of trees. Mulch is a byproduct of the large timber industry, making it relatively affordable. Perhaps our use of mulch is a result of the fact that our landscapes regenerate so quickly. A recent blog by Noel Kingsbury remarked on how quickly the American woodland regenerates compared to English forests. It’s true: if you leave a piece of cleared land alone almost anywhere east of the Mississippi River, it will likely revert to an invasive-choked woodland within a decade. Below our lawns and suburbs, there is a feral landscape just waiting for its chance. Perhaps we mulch (and mow) to keep the beast at bay.
