Here's an update, as promised, of the changes I've made at our new place, which isn't so new any more. I have planted a few flowering bulbs and a groundcover of clover after adding some dirt with some compost. Maybe I'll add another groundcover for extra blooms later. But it took a lot of work!
I understand why people like to use rubber mulch. After all, it's recycled tires, for which there isn't much use. From a distance it looks like wood mulch. And it's cheap. Also, there was a big push to use landscape fabric in the past. I used a lot of it at the old place. It was supposed to let air and water in and keep weeds out. Both are a big pain in the #$%. The rubber mulch doesn't decompose so the little bits of leaves and other natural things decompose into dirt, perfect for weeds to grow, right on top of the fabric. So I decided to clear out the fabric and rubber mulch between these two trees.
Here's a landscape view of the trees (which is also my reference photo for the cable lines).
Easy job, right? No! After removing twelve extra large bags of rubber mulch and removing the fabric, I found more fabric and rocks covered with compacted dirt. This fabric was tight against the trees' trunks. Roots were struggling to get through. After removing that, I found a layer of pebbles! I felt like an anthropologist, removing layer after layer. It seems that the previous home owners (there have been a few) have been dumping a bunch of stuff. It's almost like a "How to Kill Trees" guide.
But I don't mean to disparage other people. I've made my share of mistakes, too. In fact, maybe I'm doing something horrible that science will reveal ten years from now. I'm hoping to right this wrong for the sake of the trees. Check back in spring and I'll share photos of the bulbs I planted.
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