volcano mulching
n.— «I have seen some landscapers use very deep layers of mulch—a foot or more in tight rings around trees and shrubs. Is this a healthy practice?…This is sometimes called volcano mulching because of the steep sides and hollow center around the base of the tree. It may be better than no mulch at all, but it can cause problems, especially with newly planted trees.» —“Cultivating Gerbera daisies from seed takes time, patience” by Russell England Gainesville Times (Georgia) Aug. 10, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
“What has a head like a cat, feet like a cat, a tail like a cat, but isn’t a cat?” Answer: a kitten! A 1948 children’s joke book has lots of these to share with kids. Plus: an easy explanation for the difference between...
Why is marijuana called pot ? Lexicographer David Maurer, an expert on underworld slang, once posited that pot is shortened from potiguaya, a term that, it turns out, isn’t Spanish. He later surmised that pot comes from potación de guaya...
I was once told, by a Minneapolis park employee, that the extra mulch discourages lawnmowers (from injuring the tree’s bark). Evidence of a covert power struggle between arborists and landscapers?