Bark Mulch

[coachgrd]

We are looking for an alternative to bark mulch this year for landscaping around the house. (Seems after just a few weeks it loses it's luster.) Anyone do anything else that is comparable in price?

 

[trkbldr]

I have to say that nothing looks better than fresh mulch and nothing looks worse than 3 month old mulch. I don't think that you can find anything else comparable in price initially . But consider the cost of freshening that mulch every year /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif and the alternatives will soon pay for themselves. The closest thing cost-wise would probably be pea gravel. Find a bulk dealer where you can get it by the bucket load or by the ton, much cheaper than bags. Small river rock also works well, but a bit more expensive than pea gravel. Lava rock comes in a couple of colors and looks nice also. There is also a mulch made from shredded tires and I am not positive but I believe it comes in colors also. Again, these alternatives cost more up front but will save you money (and time) over the long haul /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif.

 

[BXMMCC]

After the plantings were placed, we covered the entire landscaped area with the black landscape cloth, then over that, stone chips. A one time thing; the cloth works as a weed barrier and permits drainage. Oh, I forgot - after the plantings, I laid soaker hose before the cloth and stone chips. Evidently, there are two theories about the stone - one is that you need to water more frequently, the other is less frequently! The stone holds the heat - true, need more water? The stones have spaces between them and do not conduct the surface heat to the earth- true, need less water?
All our trees and shrubs are doing fine!