I would only use rock with shrubs. The hosta will not appreciate the rocks all tangled up in their roots or should I say the owner will not appreciate dividing them with all the rocks fighting her shovel.

It depends on the plant.

95% of the time I use shreded cedar mulch. But for plants that need extremely sharp drainage, I cover the bottom of the planting hole with a single layer of chicken grit (small pebbles) and also mulch with it. I garden in moderate clay and since I started doing that I haven't lost a single penstemon or achillea.

To me, its all about the soil. And rocks do nothing for it. I add composted manure, or compost, and then add a layer of shredded leaves as mulch. This all breaks down and feeds the soil.

If I had a front foundation bed (well, I kinda do but its from the previous owner and I've been meaning to redo it for 12 years, lol) but if I had a nice foundation bed in front of the house, I might use shredded cedar mulch, because that does have a nicer look than leaves.

Dee

Like atozmom I use small rock or coarse sand as a mulch only with plants that need sharp drainage around their crowns like western penstemons and agastaches to help their survival. Otherwise I use compost for plants that are heavier feeders, particularly veggies, and use hardwood shavings for everything else.

Knowing how difficult it is to separate stone from soil is part of the reason I don't use rock. It's much more difficult to weed an area that's been mulched with rock or to divide plants or to remove rock mulch if you change your mind about anything to do with the bed. Like Dee, though, I think that the improvement in the soil quality that a long-term organic mulch creates is the most significant reason to use organic rather than rock mulch.

Rocks or gravel will do nothing to suppress weeds, and those that do sprout are harder to pull (especially all of the oak sprouts.) There is no circumstance for which I would add rocks to the soil unless it was for something like a dry stream bed (or if I lived in a desert.) It is also extremely hard to keep a "rock mulch" looking nice, especially under a tree where it will be filled with leaves. If using an organic mulch, one could leave the leaves in place, which is a lot easier and beneficial for the soil. Oak leaves will stain the rocks brown also but that may not be a noticeable with red rocks instead of white. Rocks are more likely to cause one to trip or slip when trying to walk on them.

I like shredded hardwood but any organic mulch would be preferable.

Besides being an eyesore (in my opinion), rocks do nothing to help nurture a healthy soil profile, retain moisture, or suppress weeds. Maybe they would work in the desert southwest, but not in the eastern U.S.

Some mulches are not much better (e.g. rubber) and some can facilitate development of artillery fungus (read about it; it is nasty). Other shredded mulches break down at such a slow pace (and people continue piling it up) that it suffocates and rots plant roots.

Well-developed compost or very finely shredded pine bark (often called "fines") are my preferred options.

Any mulch, rock or otherwise, in red looks awful. MHOP.

I am another fan of finely shredded pine. It breaks down quickly and looks nice as well, I think. The last few bags I bought from a different nursery than usual said pine fines, but it wasn't shredded, more like small chips. I will go back to the place I used to buy from next time!

cyn, sounds like you got bark last time instead of shredded wood. Bark takes a LOT longer than shredded wood to decompose. It also tends to move around in heavy rains, possibly even float, not helpful if your mulch washes away.

The combination of red lava rock and plastic mulch is an invention of Satan.

There are some homeowners who apparently want to put in a few shrubs, add something to prevent weeds and never have to think about it again. The above combination seems promising, until the weeds sprout in the rock and debris that's blown in there, and you bruise your fingers trying to yank them out.

A good-smelling*, natural-looking feeding mulch, that's the ticket.

*but not so good-smelling that your dog thinks the mulch is dinner.

purpleinopp, I find the opposite to be the case. I find shredded hardwood takes a long time to disintegrate and finely shredded pine bark is relatively quick to do so.

cyn427, since you are in N. VA. like me, the stuff I use is called "Super Fines" and is actually sold as a soil conditioner at places like Merrifield. Is that what you were using?

I wasn't talking about shredded bark but chunky bark. Sorry if that wasn't clear. I've used shredded hardwood for years in OH and AL and have always loved it. Glad to hear you have good results with shredded bark also. I'll keep it in mind if I can't find the other sometime. Do you put leaves on beds, over the mulch, in the fall? I think that speeds the decomposition a lot. Also put grass once in a while during the summer. Probably not a bad idea to switch mulch occasionally when buying it, get a variety of substances on there.

Thank you all for your messages. I appreciate the time you took and your thoughtfulness in posting. Most all of you agree that generally, using mulch is far superior to using large red rock as a ground cover.

I'd like to find some of the "pine fines" mentioned here to use as a soil additive. They are supposed to make a wonderful soil conditioner. I've not seen them in Western PA yet, but I will keep looking. Do they come bagged under a particular product name? Thanks again,
Linda

Ken hasn't weighed in here, but he has famously said that if God wanted planting beds to be red, we would all live in Georgia. I'll go out on a limb and guess that he would say if God wanted planting beds to be covered with rock we'd all live in the Rockies!
Jan

Ohh, the chunky pine bark nuggets take forever to decompose. That is for sure true! The bigger the mulch pieces, the longer it takes to disappear. I sometimes shred leaves in fall and throw them on. Same with grass. I do find that the super fine bark does not wash away in storms -- it actually sticks to the soil really well, which I like.

Linda, around here it is called "Super Fines Soil Conditioner" but basically the most finely shredded pine bark you can find is what to look for. I think it is usually intended to break up clay soil for planting purposes.

over-mulching is not good for the soil. The bacteria that break down the mulch use up nitrogen.

My preferred "mulch" is other plants. Suitable ground covers. I'll mulch bare ground, especially near immature plants, but I try to not mulch at all where practical.

Since you live in W. PA I would suggest you be very careful what type of mulch you use close to the foundation of your home. We have a termite problem and you are inviting problem that can cost you thousands of dollars down the road.

I have so many pine trees I use the needles collected in the Fall. Other than than pine needles, I use mulched leaves and I grow ground cover plants. Check you local nursery they should carry the pine mulch. You will not find it at Lowes or HD.

I agree, that red dyed mulch should be banned. IMO it is ugly and is not good for the soil.

Too late, marquest! We had our home treated for termites this past spring. I know that using the mulch doesn't help, but according to the private company who treated our house, we are in a hot bed area for termites. We had seen them on our property - not the house, at that point - when we first moved in. The former owner had a row of shrubs, on the property line, that she had had cut down. The stumps were still in the ground, at ground level. They were impossible to dig out because of their size, and we saw termites in the stumps when we tried to dig them out.

I will be looking for "Super Finds Soil Conditioner" at the local gardening centers.

Linda

DH and I spent yesterday morning spreading 'Pine Fines' mulch along the edge of my beds,around the edging annuals, and sprinkling around the perennials behind them, avoiding the crowns of the perennials. Sure don't need any rotting going on or more places for the bugs and slugs to hide.

Had a 2-'Scoop' load delivered---about 2 cubic yards, from a local mulch yard. Cost? Less than half of what you'd pay buying 2 cu. ft. bags anywhere.

If you have a secluded corner (shady, to avoid heating this stuff up too much----think spontaneous combustion, like burned down a Bank in a nearby town a few months ago--mulched perimeter of the Bank caught on fire, and no, it wasn't a 'careless smoker' who ignited the mulch!) you'll always have a ready supply.

It smells wonderful when spread, almost as good as compost, and just about as dark. No artificial dyes etc. and boy, do the plants ever 'pop'. We piled chopped leaves on top in the fall, and after 2 years we can get a shovel into this red clay.

Why so late? I waited until after I had scattered seeds from perennials that I want to spread to other areas of the garden. Now they're all tucked in and (hopefully) ready to do their thing next Spring. Marigold and Petunia seeds from this year's dead-heading have already sprouted and some are blossoming. The Finches are picking over the Echinacea blooms I chopped off and 'left' in a bare spot for them, so once the mulch was spread, we left them a fresh supply.

More rain on the way today, and all the plants will be getting a good dose of the 'fine mulch goodies' washing down through to their roots, without the dirt splashing up on them. You could almost hear them heaving a sigh of relief!

Linlily, I wouldn't avoid mulch altogether because of termites. Just don't spread it all the way up to your foundation; leave a foot or so gap. Termites aren't attracted to mulch (they prefer other food sources), but it can provide hospitable conditions for them due to the moist environment it provides. See the link below for more info.

My Super Fines Soil Conditioner is made by Norfleet Products, Inc. operating out of Fredericksburg, VA. I am not sure how widely they distribute their products.

Marquest mentioned pine straw -- this is another excellent mulch in my opinion.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mulch and Termites

We have continued to mulch with finely - not coarse - pine bark mulch. At least I think that is what it's called. It is what is sold by garden centers in our area. My DH buys pick up truck loads of it every summer. We tried buying bags but we needed too many bags and I think it was more expensive that way. We are not changing what we use as mulch. The termites are gone now.

According to the person who treated around our house, termites in our area need moisture. Without moisture they die.

My original question was not for me - I'm not changing my mulch for anything else. It was for conversation purposes that I was going to use to talk to my neighbor. Too late on that front though - a couple of days ago a truck came and delivered 3 ton of large red stone - not lava rock but larger stone. I've never seen anything like it before. She and her DH had it all spread by that evening. So now, I'm just enjoying the conversation going on here in this thread!

Linda

PS Thank you for the name of company who bags the Super Fines Soil Conditioner. I will look them up and see where they distribute.

The termites are gone now.

According to the person who treated around our house, termites in our area need moisture. Without moisture they die.

Termites are never gone. They are like flies. Usually if you had to have your property exterminated you usually have to do follow up treatments.

The link above is good info but I prefer to be safe and just do not use it around my foundation as suggested from the exterminators. Compost, compost leaves and pine needles is all I will use.

Any consistently moist material (be it pea gravel or pine needles or hardwood mulch) provides a good environment for termites. Best advice is to keep whatever you use away from your foundation and siding, even if you have already been treated or your area is not considered a hot bed area for them.

The person who did the termite treatment is coming back once a year - included in the price - to check to see if they are back. The treatment is guaranteed for five years. Most likely, we will have to do it again after the five year period. I think it's just something we will have to watch out for and retreat as necessary. No siding on our home as it's a brick home.

I can't picture myself removing the mulch from the flower beds, and all soil has some moisture in it, be it mulched or not. And there is always going to be organic material of one kind or another for them to eat. Or at least I would think that would be the case.

My daughter and her DH, who live a couple of miles from me, had their home treated - by the sellers - before they purchased it, and have resold it this year. Before the house closed, they had to have it inspected and termites were found again. This time they had to pay for the treatment. And, no, they did not have mulch around their home, just river rock. She and her DH are not gardeners.

You wouldn't need to remove mulch from the flower beds -- just rake it away from the foundation a few inches as a precaution. At least that is what the Iowa State write-up suggests doing.

linlily, I was not saying you should remove the mulch. I was just saying what I was doing. I am just doing everything they suggested and not to have mulch around the foundation. It is not a problem for me because I like ground cover plants.

I planted evergreen bushes and on one side I did a cactus succulent garden that does not need the moisture. I have a lot of woods around my house so I am a termite target.

We also have to do the follow up treatments. My house is brick also. Before you purchase a house in PA you have to have termite inspection because of our problem.

You are so right about the termite inspection marquest. No one in PA should purchase a home without one. The man who treated our home said that he will probably get calls from other people on our block now that our house is treated. He said that termites tend to just move on to the next house down the street!

Perhaps we should consider using some decorative rock in the area a few inches right next to the house and leave the mulch in the rest of the area. If I don't have something there, I imagine weeds will be growing very quickly. It's definitely something to think about.

Thank you all again for your input...and the information on our little termite friends,

Linda

Imagine my surprise yesterday when I went to tie up my Rudbeckia Herbsstone, only to get 'bitten' by fire ants here in Virginia! No, they weren't in the Pine fines mulch, but apparently 'smothered' by the mulch and chased from the dirt to the surface!

Neighbors have an exterminator at the house on a regular basis (they have an 8' pile of brush etc. in their back yard--TG they put up a 6' stockade fence outside of our chainlink so I don't have THAT to look at!) and the fire ants apparently packed up and move North into our yard!

No mulch close to the house on any side, thank goodness, but I had to warn my gardening buddy neighbor on the North side to watch out if she's out in her bare feet! Last year she was bitten by ground-burrowed hornets she 'disturbed' and I certainly didn't want her angering these nasty ants. And I thought they were only an issue further South having stepped on some in my Aunt's yard in Florida. Still have the scars from that encounter! :~)

linlily, he was right about them moving to the next house. My neighbor had not had her house inspected or treated after she purchased it 30 years ago. She was in front of her fridge and her foot went through the floor.

She called me for my exterminator's number. That cost her a couple thou for extermination and floor replacement. I know we will always have a problem because of the woods. I get all the trees that fall down cut up and removed immediately. Anytime I find a log and break it open it is filled with termite. I have a big, big, big problem.

hudsonriverbug: Fire ants in Virginia? Say it ain't so! What part of the state are you in?