Usually my gardens are in order by Mother’s Day.  And, Mother’s Day has always been my goal date to finish planting annuals and have all the mulch down.  This year, the crazy weather caused me to be way behind on my garden schedule.  My only little scraps of time to do yard work were during heavy rains or tornado conditions!  (Yes, tornadoes!  Area schools have been out for 4 days due to the damage caused by tornado touchdowns in Connecticut!)  This year, I actually visited the nursery and purchased my annuals in the powering rain, holding an umbrella!

The smallest little garden in my yard is located by my back door.  Because I see it every time I enter or leave the house, I have always tried to do something a little different in that one patch.  In many past years, I have used cocoa hull mulch in that back door garden, because I loved the chocolate smell every time I passed!  Now, it is impossible to find the cocoa mulch – garden centers tell me they stopped carrying it because it attracted animals.  I thought about using beach stones as an alternate mulch.  I am already using beach stones in other gardens and I thought it might add a nice continuity – maybe adding some beach grasses to that garden to give it an added coastal vibe.

So, when I saw oyster shells used as mulch at this year’s flower show in Philadelphia, I thought it might be just the interesting substitute for cocoa mulch that I was looking for!  Besides the fact that people don’t collect oyster shells, we also have a city nearby that boasts 12,000 acres of oyster farms – getting the shells won’t be a problem!

What do you think?  Good idea?  I love the irregular shape and interesting texture!

Note:  Because oyster shells break down faster than a sturdier shell, like a clam, they may need to be replaced frequently.  So, if you are considering using oyster shells in your own garden, be sure to consider this.

Thanks for stopping by!  Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie