The forecast is even more dire this morning - temperatures upwards of 107^o by the end of May - so I must finish mulching in all of my tender garden plants. Since there are so many new limbs down in the back yard I'll use some of those (running through a small electric chipper). I like the lighter hardwood mulch because it makes it easier to see where the small plants are in the garden when I'm hand watering. Once they grow it's not an issue, but for the rest of the garden I use a very dark mulch that I pick up free from the city (it's also coarser). The urgency of this task means it must come first, then the others fall in as time allows (or as I come in to cool down for a few minutes at a time).