How to Choose and Use Bark Mulch for your Garden Beds
Organic mulches, such as popular shredded bark or wood chip mulches, can be healthy for your plants while also decreasing yard work. Mulch holds moisture for your plants, helps prevent weeds from germinating and gives your flower beds, trees and other landscape features a uniform, finished look.
When it comes to choosing bark mulch, you will find a variety of choices in tree species in various shades of brown. Choose the mulch that you think will look best where you are going to use it. Keep in mind that some artificially-colored mulches will fade within a season.
How much mulch do you need? A 2-3 inch layer of bark mulch is a good rule of thumb for your landscaping needs. For a landscape bed that is 100 square feet in size, you would need about 25 cubic feet of mulch if you spread it three inches thick.
Bark mulch will generally last a couple years before it breaks down. You may want to add a little fresh mulch each year to keep your flower beds and trees looking good. If you add a thin layer of fresh mulch each year, be sure to match the color with what you already have.
Another tip: in flowerbeds, give your plants a little fertilizer before putting down the mulch. In this way, the food will go right to your plant's roots and not be absorbed by the bark.