I know whatcha mean. I don't have an answer about why 2 of your beds fill with weeds and others don't. I get most of my weeds from water that runs from my neighbor's yard into mine when it rains - most of what they have are weeds. It would help to know what weeds you have, annual or perennial. You can use Amaze in those beds to try to get weeds under control. Also, corn gluten will help but it takes several applications (seasons) to really get results.
My mulch is max only about 1" deep in my beds and thinner in some spots. I use some hardwood except around the foundation where I use cedar (bug repellant). My shade beds aren't mulched. In areas where the soil isn't very visible I use tree leaves from my own trees. Sometimes grass clippings, but be sure you don't have weeds in your grass or you will spread them to the beds by their seeds. Mulch also looks better from a distance, so your neighbors might look not so great up close either. I keep the mulch on either side of my front door fresh (apply just a thin topping spring and sometimes fall) because it's what people see when the walk up to the door. The rest I just renew occassionally as it breaks down - every 2-3 years in most places. If you fill your beds, and as your desirable plants grow, less of the mulch will show.

Yes it can really add up (cost wise:( Many cities or counties have a free or low cost mulch recylcing program where you can get mulch by the truckload with proof of residency. Then top this with a more appealing type over the top saving you 3/4 of the cost. Another helpful thing to consider is putting down cardboard or news papers to help supress weeds. Many sources for both of these. Weed seed still can germinate in mulch but much less and it is usually easier to pull them becasue the soil is less compacted. The cardboard or newspaper will suppress the weeds better and if you get weeds will slow or stop them from rooting into the ground again making them easier to pull.

I find that mulch choices are often a very subjective choice for how pretty they look new. They all weather and turn a little grayish and this is unappealing to many so freshening it once a year will help some.

For many bed situations as the plants fill out and grow to there mature size less mulch is needed or is visible helping both of your above concerns.

I hope this helps some and lessens your burden.
Happy Growing David

High dollar Landscapers on properties I used to manage "fluffed" the cedar mulch by raking it lightly at least once a month to keep it looking fresh.
Suzi

The mulch always looks fresher on the other side of the fence;-)

I don't know what it is about Texas but the ground seems to "eat" mulch! At least you can take solace in the fact that all that mulch breaking down makes some wonderful organic material for your plants.

The two front beds that run the lenght of your front yard....Are they right by a road? It could get more weeds because of dust being kicked up and then settling in the bed. Just a thought.

I would suggest getting a quote from a landscaping company to see how much they would charge for mulching your beds a couple times a year. It may end up not costing all that much more than what you are spending now. Plus you will get the time savings. It certainly wouldn't hurt to get some quotes.

I get free mulch from the city.The cost really runs up when you have large beds. PJ

If you don't mind pulling out some big chunks, catch the tree trimmers! If they're near your house, you can usually get them to dump a load in your driveway. It's rougher than what you'd get in other places, but if you need lots of it and plan on topping with prettier stuff, it's great. Lots of leaves in there, too. Good stuff. If you have access to pine needles, they're my favorite mulch in the world. They sort of weave together so they don't move when it rains, and they take a long time to break down.

I've got the same problem as you with weeds in certain beds. I put more mulch in those beds, and it really helps a lot. I also put grass clippings in the hidden beds and save the prettier stuff for visible areas. I don't think you can ever mulch enough in Texas.

dittos, pj
If you can't find the municipalities with free mulch, some also sell it bulk fairly cheap.

We get free mulch from the County too. They will even load it for you, resident or not!

If you plant heavily, it will shade out weeds, and you will need much less mulch.

This time of year, I would be picking up bags of leaves that are set out for the garbage man. You can put them in a plastic garbage can and chop them up with a weed eater. Use those under more desireable mulches, or in the beds that you don't see close to the house.

We are all in the same boat. Mulch is high dollar stuff!

Janie

Yep, get the cheap stuff.

Better yet, get the free stuff, & get the bonus of feeling virtuous for keeping it out of the landfill!

When I first discovered that the front yard was about 3" too low & retained water (to the extent that cattails grew in one corner of the yard), I called a place that supplies bulk materials & priced enough mulch to raise the level of the yard 3".

It was nearly $900!

So, as someone advised above, I started getting free materials wherever I could.

I sold a house for a couple who moved to 20 acres south of here; one day the wife mentioned that they had "cleaned up" (aargh!) the pine needles that had accumulated beneath their trees, & they were going to burn them that week-end.

I screeched & moaned & hollered & begged, & she finally, with much amusement, got her husband to haul a flatbed trailer full of bagged pine needles to me when he returned to his job in Dallas on Monday.

One year, I ran into a guy who was building cedar wood bars & stuff for a big country-western club; he was amused, too, but he had his son bring me huge bags of wonderful cedar shavings.

& I *always* stop & ask the big orange truck people (Asplundh) for their tree trimmings.

Sometimes they say they'll bring them & then they don't (maybe they get a request from an old customer, maybe they can dump them at a closer place, who knows), but they bring them often enough to make it worthwhile.

&, though I haven't tried this in a while, you might place an ad on freecycle saying that you want bagged autumn leaves.

I did that one autumn & got a couple of car loads of leaves.

I think the soil everywhere, not just Texas, devours mulch;
it's likely to have been starved & kept on chemical life support for the past 50 years, & it does gobble up the nutrients.

Keep adding compost & mulch, & eventually your garden's ravenous appetite will settle down to a mild case of the munchies.

& mulched beds eventually pay for themselves in saved lawn maintenance, mowing, & irrigation dollars.

I live in Austin and my beds seem to eat mulch, too. Last year, I discovered pine needles. They are better than all of the other mulches I have tried, and they are free! They are also so easy to move out of the way if you want to replant a bed. I even use them in my vegetable garden.

Y'all have great comments and suggestions, and I appreciate it very much. Many of these things I certainly never thought of and they'll be helpful. And I feel reassured that I'm not just "doing something wrong" about the mulch. Thanks!!!

Karen

I got maybe 20 yards of free chippings from a tree trimmer co. That stuff does not break down. I mixed it in a new bed last winter with the plans of making lasagna garden soil and it's still full of chunks of wood. I kinda hate the stuff because I can't plant anything in a bed full of wood chips. If you want something that won't go away that's the stuff.