Gardeners, here’s a…

Gardeners, here's a mulch question. So, last fall, when the leaves fell, I just raked them into our various garden beds, figuring they'd dry and serve as mulch. That worked fine, but with an unexpected result -- this spring, as the bulbs start coming up, they're not nearly as visible as they were last year, against the dark brown dirt. In some sense, that should be fine -- this is closer to a natural woodland look, where the bulbs would be pushing through leaf mulch. But it's bugging me a bit; I keep wanting to clear the dried leaves away, and/or go ahead and do my spring mulching now, with a mulch that will be a darker brown and offer more contrast.

Clearing the leaves is a lot of work, and sort of counterproductive and wasteful -- it'd just mean I needed more bought mulch for the year. But if I start putting down new mulch now, I'm worried I'll end up squishing the tiny little bulbs that are just coming up. I suspect I should just wait a few weeks 'til the tiny bulbs are done, trying to enjoy the subtle effect of them against the dried leaves this spring. And when the daffodils and tulips are shooting up tall, I can spread dark mulch around them. But would like the thoughts of other gardeners on this!

(Am if I'm just being ridiculous, feel free to tell me that too... :-) I'm not sure why I'm obsessing about this so much. But the spring garden really is my favorite, and I want it to look its best!)