In 1996, we mulched some Buddlia plants at the side of our school.

We planted some Buddlia plants in the grass. Next, we covered the grass with newspaper, making sure to overlap it so that the grass could not grow through.

We spread mushroom compost on top of the paper. We put logs around the edge to attract insects like beetles and centipedes which eat slugs.

In Spring, the bed looked like this. We had plants to make a pond so we marked it out with a skipping rope.

In Summer, the bed looked like this. One of the pupils had taken a slip of Mallow and it had grown. The Painted Lady butterfly lays its eggs on Mallow. In September, 1996, the staff of Wheatfield Prison invited us to their Award Ceremony. They gave us a birdtable and a hedgehog tunnel and put us on their list for garden equipment for 1997.

Cardboard can also be used to mulch.

The mulch protects the roots of the trees. The tree on the right is 150 years old.