Mulch has been a total game changer for us too - things I've struggled with in previous years are actually beginning to thrive because we've mulched over the past two summers. We've been mulching with chopped leaves because we have gigantic piles of them in the fall: we pile them into the orchard area and by summer they've settled down to a nice dense mulch blanket. The trees are loving it. And I'm appreciating having to do less watering and weeding.