Q. What is the best method for fluffing up the mulch already around my flowerbeds? Is it necessary every year to keep adding mulch?

A. Spring certainly did seem to bust out of the gates rather early and vigorously this year, though winter returned with a vengeance! Mulch is a great tool to conserve soil moisture, suppress weed growth and shade soil from excess heat in mid summer. Depending on what type of mulch you use, you likely will need to top off the flowerbeds each year or two. Generally, the finer the particle size of the organic mulch material, the faster it will breakdown. Ground bark mulch breaks down faster than shredded bark, which breaks down faster than bark chips. And the finer materials may pack down a bit, so fluff up your old mulch and top off with additional material, if the layer is less than 2 inches.

Q. We are moving to a new home that is an open field that has sat dormant for a long period of time. We will be having a house placed there soon. But I have many roses, bulbs, iris, lilies, lambs ear, hosta, lily of the valley, tall phlox, columbine, coreopsis, and clematis. When is the best time to move them? The ground is not yet broken for the house; we are to be out of here June 1st. Will it be safe to move all of these different plants and flowers and replant them then? always thought it was best to do this in the fall, but I am afraid to leave all of my plants and flowers behind, and expect to recover them in the fall.

A. Well, there's no one perfect answer to your dilemma, since you have so many different species involved. Spring-flowering bulbs are best moved in the late summer or early fall while they are dormant. Most other perennials can be moved either in the fall or in late winter or early spring. Middle of the summer is about the worst time to move any of the plants, because that is the hottest time of year and when rains are less predictable.

It will likely be easiest to just start over with fresh spring-flowering bulbs this fall, rather than try to transplant those. For the rest of your plants, you may want to pot up small divisions of at least some of your perennials in good quality potting soil, and try to get them through the move that way until you have time to set your new garden. Or, if you have an out-of-the-way location at the new property, you could make a temporary nursery bed where you can move the plants and keep them pampered through summer, until you are ready to make your new garden. Keep the plants mulched and watered regularly.