It’s the dirty little secret of great gardeners everywhere: Mulch can save you time and effort and make even the most humble garden appear well-groomed. Choose from the materials listed below (available at most garden centers), or ask at your local nursery about other options. Then place a layer (no more than three inches thick) on the surface of the soil around your plants, keeping the mulch at least three inches away from trunks and stems (so the plants don’t suffocate). Because mulch helps the soil retain moisture, plants won’t need to be watered as often, and since it smothers weeds, you won’t spend hours pulling them out of your beds. With less competition for water and nutrients, plants thrive. The secret is out!

Buckwheat Hulls

Use this mostly ornamental option around shallow-rooted perennials that need to absorb water quickly.

Pebbles

They won’t decompose, so pebbles are a very low-maintenance mulch. Use on a garden that gets too wet; they’ll absorb heat from the air and dry out the soil.

Shredded Cedar Bark

The natural woodsy scent helps repel insects, making this ideal around patios and foundation plantings.

Straw

Good for vegetable gardens and strawberry patches, this lightweight mulch replenishes the soil with nutrients faster than other types and allows air to circulate.

Pine Needles

Place them around new plantings. They don’t smother the ground the way heavier mulches do, so enough water will reach fragile seedlings.

Pine Bark

Shrubs, trees, and flower beds need a long-lasting mulch. Try this one, which decomposes more slowly than others.