Freshening up your planters

The easiest way to freshen up your planters is to put down mulch/bark. It's great for water conservation, retaining moisture in the soil (this is the first time water retention is a good thing!) and weed control. If this is the first time you're putting it down, it's helpful to put weed cloth down first. If you don't, the odds are better that the bark will compost right into the soil and you'll get some weeds through anyway.