Wood chips are cheaper than bark mulch and sometimes even free, if you ask around. If you put them thickly enought on the newspaper/cardboard, they should hold. Thick layers of newspapers, wetted down, are probably more stable than cardboard.

I have also seen people use pine needles or even grass clippings for this purpose.

I have in a previous garden used tree chippings spread deeply, not even cardboard or newpaper underneath. No problems except occasional fungi. The garden wasn't bordered by sod as it had ledge and rock walls on all sides, so I didn't need to worry about weeds growing in from the side.

In my current garden I put down cardboard or newspaper and topped it with wood shavings from the family wood lathes as well as sometimes with sawdust from the sawmill. I found that the sawdust moved around when I walked on it and blew away when it dried out. I like it better for garden edges than paths because undisturbed it's pretty stable. The curly wood shavings from the lather sort of lock together the way tree chippings or coarsely shredded bark mulch does. As long as I put it on thickly (6" deep) I haven't had problems with it blowing away or exposing the cardboard underneath. My soil keeps the cardboard damp enough that it mostly rots away within a year or a bit longer.

Carol,
I use cardboard often and the standard thick layer of mulch on top has never blown around. Keep in mind the whole premise of mulch is to help the soil retain moisture. I have found cardboard to be a good barrier for difficult weeds and poison ivy, but to be honest I have never used it in a path so I canÂt be certain that it wonÂt shift with heavy traffic, wheel barrels, ect.

I agree with Ginny12. We have an extensive network of sunken paths and we used thick newspapers and wood chips (which will go from white to darker over one season) with no slipping or problem. you can get free wood chips from local landscapers who can avoid dump fees this way; i'd call them while the trees are not leafed out because if you get them NOW they won't have leaves mixed in.

consider sinking your paths. the plants love the extra drainage and it makes the design interesting to have different levels instead of all one flat area.

best,
mindy

I've also used newspaper and wood chips with no movement problems and pretty much no weed problems. You can't even see the newspaper (although in my paths it is probably gone by now). My current wood chips have been down for two and a half years now and still are doing their job. I may replenish this season if I can snag a local tree service in the neighborhood.

:)
Dee

Those photos are gorgeous, Mindy. An exquisite combination of texture and color.

Your tip about sinking the paths is great. As you said, it helps with drainage and warms up the higher garden areas adjoining. The old colonial kitchen and ornamental gardens all had raised beds for earlier fruit, vegetables, flowers.

Mindy, when you sank your paths, did you just shovel the earth out into the beds on each side? (and I agree; the garden pix make me long for warmer weather and a visit to your 'retum.)

Carol

yes, carol, that's exactly how we did it!
best,
mindy

Very pretty Mindy. As much as I agree with the positives mentioned above about sunken paths my experience was that it traps leaf litter ect. which maybe a good thing depending on the path material. In my case trying to grow thyme between stones was a PITA and I am guessing that it wasn't long before Mindy's beautiful pi*ne needle path was quickly hidden under debris.

yes, pine needle mulch is a challenge. I have a shrub bed at the edge of the pine woods. My original intention was that this bed would be au naturale and I wasn't going to fuss with it and just let the pine needles, et als, do their thing.

However, it also gets tons of pine cones and twigs and leaves and looks too messy for my taste. So I rake and/or blow it lightly, trying to leave as many pine needles as I can.

Then I scatter collected bags of pine needles that I gathered in the fall, before leaves came down, for "the look".

pita for a "au naturale" bed -- LOL

I have used cardboard/newspaper base covered w/ mulch for years. Always works - just make sure the mulch/cover is fairly thick.

Robyn, that's what I think I'll do. I found several bales of flattened cardboard boxes behind a hardware store and once the paths are laid out, will put down the cardboard, then cover it with several inches of pine bark nuggets. The nuggets are soft for walking but don't track into the house like mulch does.

Carol

I did have a pest control and a tree guy tell me NOT to use chipped wood to close to the house as it WILL attract Termites