Down south, pine straw is a main source of mulch. I stopped using it on most of my beds because it breaks down too fast and tracks into the house. I switched to pine bark chips. The only time I use pine straw is on a hill, because it is the only mulch that will not slide down a hill. Of course now I have my own source of pine needles on that hill because we planted our own virginia and loblolly pines. It's not the real long pine straw they sell, but it does the job. If you are not walking on it a lot and it doesn't get full direct sun, the pine straw should last at least a year. I can't see paying shipping for it, but it's worth a try. I also mulch up my fall leaves with a blower vac and have used that for mulch. I don't really do winter protection, but I have used mounds of shredded leaves and pine straw to protect roses and hydrangeas in late frosts. I also tried that coconut mulch that is sold in blocks and has to be hydrated to expand. I like it except for the color.

Well I want to use it as a mulch over the top of the composted leaf and manure mulch I usually use. Just a way to keep from splashing anything on the graft unions when I water. I also want to use it as a soil amendment for the blueberries I will be planting in a few weeks. Others would say watering more than 1'-2' away from the base of the tree would prevent this problem but with containerized trees it would also mean there would be no water in the pots.lol

lgteacher, "pine straw" is a common mulch in the Southeastern US, and is pine needles. I learned that reading other forums which have Southeasterners posting. It's not a common California term, because mulch/soil amendment tends to be a local product (due to transportation cost) and we don't have a lot of pine lumber mills here. Starfinder you may have to collect it yourself, or if you want to acidify soil here you have to use peat moss, azalea/camellia mix, or soil sulpher, and a bark product. For my blueberries I mulch with peat moss as a first layer and another type of mulch over that, to keep the peat from drying out. Gardening is all local...

One thing about Pinestraw, it is pretty much the same price anywhere. If it varies, it is usually just a variance of .20 cents a bail or so. You can call Lowes, Home Depot, and any of the larger nurseries or landscape supply places in the Yellow Pages to find out their current weekly price. Sometimes it varies from week to week to. Last year I bought mine from Buck Jones and just had it delivered as it was $50 for the delivery and worth the price compared to renting a vehicle. GGG