How to Choose the Right Mulch

Mulch is the top dressing that protects spring plants from the elements, stifles weeds, and limits evaporation so your plants get more water. A spring mulch refresh is a simple way to make your beds look crisp and clean and help spring plants grow healthy and vibrant. But with so many options, what’s the right choice?

Common Mulches for Woodstock Landscapes

  • Gravel. Although its heat-retention makes it a poor choice for many plants, succulents and other desert plants thrive in gravel mulch beds.
  • Cocoa hulls. Rich, aromatic, and attractive, cocoa hull mulch darkens with age, giving an elegant look to Woodstock flowerbeds. The downsides? It grows mold when it’s humid (although it’s harmless) and—here’s the kicker—it’s toxic to dogs, just like regular chocolate.
  • Compost. An excellent choice for vegetable gardens, herb gardens, and flowerbeds, compost infuses rich nutrients into the soil, repairing beds that have been stripped of minerals. It does little to suppress weeds, however, so use compost only where it’s needed.
  • wood chip mulchShredded bark. A good choice for hearty plants like trees and shrubs, it’s fine coarse texture keeps shredded bark mulch right where you want it.
  • Wood chips. Inexpensive and long lasting, wood chips are the go-to mulch choice for many homeowners. The drawback? They turn gray with age, making your landscape look a little lackluster.
  • Pine straw. A perennial favorite mulch in Georgia, pine straw is readily accessible and cheap—or even free—to obtain. It breaks down slowly and reduces slug problems in perennial flower beds (or so our mothers told us). But unlike wood-based mulches, it doesn’t do much in the way of adding nutrients to the soil.

Do you need Woodstock landscaping services, a personalized landscape design, or spring plants for the garden? Contact Hutcheson Horticultural Company.