After consulting with your landscaper and choosing just the right trees, plants and shrubbery to complement your home, there are still some decisions to make. Landscape rock or organic mulch for instance. Your landscape designer is there to guide you, but your own personal preference should be the biggest factor in your choice.
There are pros and cons that go along with both the organic and inorganic types of mulch. Any kind of stone in whatever size and color you prefer will make an attractive accent to your landscape. It is durable so it won’t deteriorate as pine straw or wood chips will. The upside is that when the organic mulch does break down it will blend with the soil and add its own nutrients to the mix. The downside may be that you will need to replace it sooner than you would rock.
Other than the aesthetic value, mulch is good for keeping weeds out and water in. Rock mulch will require using some sort of under layer material to keep the weeds from poking through. At the same time this weed barrier will mean that your plants won’t benefit as much from natural rainfall or the water from a sprinkler system.
In order for organic mulch to be as valuable to the soil as it can be, they have to be in direct contact. With this in mind your landscaper will forego any plastic or cloth layer, so the mulch will need to be spread thick enough to be a weed deterrent itself.
If you like the idea of using an organic mulch remember that it is vulnerable when exposed to high wind or torrential rains. Since it is more easily displaced you may need to spend more time on maintenance duty. One option might be to use rock in the areas of your landscape that are more exposed to the elements, and save the wood mulch for the more protected spaces.
The professionals at CoCal Landscaping in Denver are familiar with all types of decorative and environmentally friendly mulch. Call on them @ 303-578-4788.