Which is better, mulch or stone? Which stone is better?

[thesunlover]

Which is better, mulch or stone to cover the plant bed/area? Which decorative stone is better? (except gems:))

I like quartz, but it's expensive. I don't like lava stone because it's not real stone - I may be wrong her. Beach stone is cheap and you can always get it by free.

How about Spanish Sunrise? Is it good? What's your favorite decorative stones?

[B_BQ]

I've not met anyone who has had a good experience with decorative stone for their beds. It does look very nice when it's first done, but it soon starts to collect airborne dust and soil and before you know it there is greenery growing between the stones, and then it's a constant battle to keep it clean. It just gets worse not better with time.

But that's my opinion only, and others may disagree.

I like the look of mulch; I use natural woodland mulch, but there are many different ones on the market, including cedar, cocoa husks, etc. Others like to use the coloured mulch. One neighbour I have likes the black and another likes the red.

~BBQ

[Laura]

I agree stone looks great at first but it's not practical.Mulch is better because it can be kept tidy.I like the dark mulch because I find it looks more natural and highlights the plants.

P.S. ....Please do not go getting stone from a beach .... it needs to be there and in most cases it is illegal,or should be !!!

[thesunlover]

Mulch is much cheaper than stone.

Oh no. I don't mean getting beach stones from a beach There are always some people in my city who want to get rid of their beach stones for free. Just search your local classified ads.

One lady wants to sell me these Spanish Sunrise for $70. I am not sure if I should do it.

[davefrombc]

I agree with Laura and B_BQ. I think you'd be much happier in the long run with the mulch. Stone looks ok at first but can be a real pain to keep looking nice.

[Eeyore]

I have mulch and I love it. The only problem I find with it is that we have sow bugs and slugs. LOTS of Sow bugs! I want chickens but we aren't allowed to keep them in the city. I'm hoping a nice toad finds my pond....

[Dumbo]

So mulch attracts slugs? I didn't know this. I wouldn't put mulch down just for this reason.

[B_BQ]

In all the years I've been using mulch I've never come across slugs or sow bugs in the mulch. The only drawback to mulch is that in 2 or 3 years it totally disappears!
~BBQ

[conniepr]

I was at an evening seminar on "Trees, Pests, and Diseases" very recently. The horticulturist ended up answering some questions which led to her explaining that rock is NOT good for your plants. It heats up in the sun and then cooks the roots (so maybe a shady area would be okay?). She also is not a fan of landscape paper, as it doesn't let enough light thru and the roots come closer to the surface instead of down where they need to be. In the end, both can lead to death of the plants, although sometimes it takes years.

[Heidi S]

I agree with using mulch, without landscape fabric! and not the coloured stuff either! Chipped wood bark mulch is going to slowly degrade or compost itself adding to your soil tilth. It is easy to add more every few years as this happens.

I hate what landscape fabric does to the poor plants that are trying to survive under it. In my experience plants and shrubs never thrive having to work through the fabric. The fabric may be 'porous to allow water through' but plants are rarely happy in it. Over time the fabric seems to strangle the stems and weeds come up through the planting holes anyway.

Good luck!