The typical landscape trend is to mulch with a rich, coffee-colored, shredded wood mulch in landscape beds and around single tree plantings. The second most popular trend is river rock, followed by other flavors of rock. We’ve covered landscape beds in compost, weed barriers, cocoa beans, pine straw and the list goes on…So which is the best? We are going to focus on wood mulch and rock coverings in this post…
What happens if we don’t cover the soil with anything? The soil will erode and can expose roots. The soil may lose moisture at fast rates. The soil temps can fluctuate from extreme hot to extreme cold. Weeds pop up readily. Mud splashes on concrete and siding. The lack of coverage can damage the plant’s growth, translation, you just spent a ton of money and time purchasing the plants, installing them and caring for them, simply to watch them struggle and possibly die. You’ll spend your well-earned free time cleaning mud off your dog’s paws, kitchen floors and carpet. Have we convinced you to add a covering?
Let’s start with mulch. In our previous post, we discussed more in depth, the benefits and how-to’s of wood mulching. It is most likely organic, so the mulch will return organic material to the soil for the benefit of the plants. It reduces water-loss, keeps the weeds down and looks really pretty- especially just after it’s freshly laid! Because of it’s loose texture, it will allow oxygen movement to the soil, which will also benefit the roots of your plants.
Rock has been pretty popular in recent years. It works best if a weed barrier is laid prior to the rock to prevent weeds in your landscape beds. With the weed barrier, rock is a low-maintenance option, as you typically only put it down once and then your done. Note that mulch may need to be reapplied ever 1-2 years, making it a bit more maintenance. Rock colors vary from cool-gray tones to warm browns and just about any other earth-toned color you can think of. Rock may not be the best choice for the plants, as it does nothing for the soil. With the weed barrier and the lack of access to plant material breaking down, the soil can get stagnate and reduce the growth of plants. The weed barrier, if installed too close to the crown of a plant, may girdle the plant. The weed barrier eventually breaks down and weeds will pop through the rock. If you like a particularly “clean” landscape bed, it can be difficult to blow out all of the leaves from rocked beds. As for variety, some quarries run out of a particular color of stone, so if you go to enlarge the beds and want to continue the look, you may not be able to find matching rock.
Bottom line, at this time, wood mulch (when applied correctly) is better than rock mulch for the plants,
If you have any questions on landscape bed coverings or any other landscape questions in general, let us know!
Nebraska Nursery & Color Gardens
Unique landscapes, Home Grown Roots