When to mulch a new perennial garden?
I recently planted a new perennial garden. Many of the plants were still dormant when I planted them, although a few were beginning to sprout. I know that it's healthy to mulch flower beds, and I plan to use recycled wood chip mulch to do it, but I'm not sure about how safe it is to do this when many of the plants are still dormant. I'm finding conflicting information - some places say to do it right away, others say to place mulch around the plants, but not cover the plants. The problem is that although I know the basic vicinity that I planted each plant, I don't remember the exact placement, so I'm concerned that the plants that haven't sprouted yet might not sprout at all if I mulch over them. But at the same time, I've read that it's much healthier for them to be mulched right away. What should I do?