Mulch or River Rocks?

becky6323
becky6323 Posts: 74 Member
edited November 2024 in Chit-Chat
We're redoing our flower beds around the house since the border is rotting and it's a weed mess. Basically ripping everything out and starting over. Keeping a peony, clamatis and some hostas. The border will be pavers and then a brick border to keep the wood or rocks in. We can't decide what to put in around the plants though. Cedar mulch/colored mulch or pea gravel/river rocks. We live in Wisconsin, no trees over flowerbeds, the front is in the shade which will have the hostas, clamatis and peony. The weeds we have issues with are crab grass and dandelions. Anyone have rocks? How is maintanence on them? How thick would you recommend? Who has mulch? How deep do you go to get no weeds. We've never had luck with mulch but I don't know if it's because we skimp on it or if the weed were just to out of control. As far as prices, 4" of mulch will be about $120 and 4" of rocks will be about $500.

Replies

  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    Depending on the area, I personal prefer wood chips. I always use weed fabric underneath. In Arizona though we pretty use rocks for most the yards.
  • jamcdonel
    jamcdonel Posts: 533 Member
    Not Mulch!
    I worked Landscaping one summer back in college. Went back to college in the fall and NEVER questioned my need for education!

    Seriously. Mulch will need to be about 4 inches deep, and still will not really control weeds well. Additionally, it will have to be "freshened up" ( raked and added to) every spring. Then every other year, it will need to be removed, disposed of and replaced. Get some good landscaping cloth (that's the stuff that really blocks the weeds) edge well and bite the money bullet for stone. As long as you can keep the stone in place with the edging, you probably won't have to do anything with it for many years.
  • jamcdonel
    jamcdonel Posts: 533 Member
    And you probably don't need 4" of stone. Since it doesn't blow or wash away, and it covers better.
  • becky6323
    becky6323 Posts: 74 Member
    How much do you recommend? Was planning on 4" in the front of the hose but then 2" around the side and back.
  • jamcdonel
    jamcdonel Posts: 533 Member
    2-3" should be enough. Depending on what kind of stone, size, color, aesthetics, of course.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    If you want it to be maintenance free go with rock. Mulch will breakdown in a year or two, depending on weather, and you'll have to re-mulch.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Also in Wisconsin. We use mulch. Our landscape guy recommended it to us. He told us that it retained moisture better and provided better temperature control. We put down landscaping cloth and it works pretty well.

    The aesthete in me also prefers mulch: it's more like the natural environment that plants grow in. I personally think rocks are barren and sterile looking.

    You do have to refresh the mulch every few years though. That's some good exercise.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,508 Member
    Arizona - rocks

    everything here is a rock

    state flower - rock
    state bird - rock
    state song - rock
    state rock - rock
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Motorsheen wrote: »
    Arizona - rocks

    everything here is a rock

    state flower - rock
    state bird - rock
    state song - rock
    state rock - rock

    Yes, this makes sense to me.

    Mrs Jruzer's aunt lived in New Mexico for some years, but she still kept her lawn like she lived in the midwest - green and lush with many moisture-hungry plants. I can't imagine how much water they used. Their neighbors used more natural ground cover and native plants, so it was quite the contrast.
  • allison4224
    allison4224 Posts: 80 Member
    I have used mulch. And, I have used rocks. The weeds grow through both of them. It's much easier to pull the weeds out of the mulch, though. I have also used weed fabric and the plastic weed stuff - that are both supposed to suppress weed growth. Hahaha. What a joke. The weeds grow on top of it.

    So, personally, I think the best thing is the mulch - and you just have to keep with pulling out weeds. Also, I add mulch every other year.

    Some people around where I live (NJ) use rocks, but spray weed killer into it to stop weed growth.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Where I live the ants love mulch. I've gone to river rock. I think one day I will get rid of the whole damn front yard and just have rock so I don't have to mow anymore either.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,508 Member
    Jruzer wrote: »
    Motorsheen wrote: »
    Arizona - rocks

    everything here is a rock

    state flower - rock
    state bird - rock
    state song - rock
    state rock - rock

    Yes, this makes sense to me.

    Mrs Jruzer's aunt lived in New Mexico for some years, but she still kept her lawn like she lived in the midwest - green and lush with many moisture-hungry plants. I can't imagine how much water they used. Their neighbors used more natural ground cover and native plants, so it was quite the contrast.

    We had a lawn here. It was 7000 square feet of grass.

    I scraped it, dug a big hole and buried it.

    Now it's all natural desert landscape.

    Occasionally someone will move here from the Midwest and plant a maple tree.

    It really doesn't work too well.
  • 3rdof7sisters
    3rdof7sisters Posts: 486 Member
    edited February 2017
    Mulch or wood chips. As Allison says, the fabric is a joke. Weeds find a way.
    Seriously, if you have ever tried to get rid of rock....................it is a nasty job.

    P.S. My husband has worked for a huge garden center for over 40 years, about 10 of that as a landscaper, and they despise rock, especially when adding plants or shrubs to a bed.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    One thing to keep in mind when landscaping with rock is that they retain and reflect a lot of heat which may make that area not so desirable for certain plants. As a rock loving geologist I use a lot of rock in my landscape but have found there is nothing that is maintenance free. With rock you won't have to replace, but you still have to clean up the areas in the spring and fall. I do use a combination of rock & mulch and am always picking one out of the other. If I didn't have such a nice place in the country I'd buy a condo and just go have fun all the time.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I prefer rock as mulch breaks down pretty quick for us. I've had lots of weeds sprouting directly in the mulch. Where we put rock there are not weeds and it does not need replaced. Either way we put weed cloth down first.
  • Luke_I_am_your_spotter
    Luke_I_am_your_spotter Posts: 4,179 Member
    Mulch is a pain in the butt. I started grinding up my own cause I hated having to refresh it all the time. Go with the rocks.
  • onward1
    onward1 Posts: 386 Member
    Which ever you choose, I'd put down landscape fabric. There are several types, some are better than others. Either way you'll still have to pull the occasional weed out before it takes hold.
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