Landscaping--mulch or rocks??

[Moxie]

We're doing some landscaping in our front yard this summer.  DH wants to put down rocks instead of mulch because we have a wooded lot and it is really difficult to get the leaves and other tree stuff out of the mulch.

 

My MIL (who has a lot of opinions) thinks that rocks look like "white trash". 

 

I don't care either way, I just want it done.

 

Does the rest of the world think that rocks look tacky or is it just my MIL??

[LifeLovePassion]

If you are going to maintain the area, I think river rock can look nice. As someone who has to dig out a 50x50 foot area of rock that is covered with pine needles and such, I say mulch. You have to add to it every couple of years though. 

[umsami]

I don't think rocks look tacky, but you still need to maintain them.  I'm a fan of pine needle mulch because it's easy to add to.

 

Rocks are still quite popular down here in FL….and in neighborhoods where the homes are $1 million+.  Quite frankly, I'm not sure if the trashy folks can afford them.

[Rachel]

We've always done mulch but I want to switch to rocks this year too. We have drainage issues so I'm hopeful it will help with that and also control weeds better. I think rocks tend to come and go as a trend. When I was a kid everyone used lava rock and now you never see it.

 

Unless MIL lives with you or is paying for the landscaping I wouldn't worry about what she thinks.

[KungFuPanda]

Maybe your MIL is thinking more about the gravel driveway look than the landscaping stones look?

[Mandylubug]

We had xeroscaping in AZ and our entire front yard was rock. Looked lovely.

 

I think rock looks great when you have defined areas with a barrier or wall to maintain its shape.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

Mulch, it's easier to maintain.

 

I like the look if rock but after a while it's a hassle to maintain, and a pain to swap out later. To keep it looking good rocks need raked every few months. And it's a hassle to get leaves, sticks, weeds and other debris out!

 

You can use a colored mulch, such as red, to accent and set off the other colors in your yard.

 

You can find a variety of different mulches to change up a look. We use cocoa mulch near the house, smells nice and termites aren't interested. For garden areas we use cheap non-colored wood mulch. I think it's cypress. Whatever goes on sale.

[rmtzc2009]

Rocks are what the previous owners used to landscape and so far we've kept them.  I hate them. We have lots of trees that are dropping sticks & leaves.  We have a commercial backpack leaf blower & even that can't clean up the rocks to the point that they look cleaned out.  My best way to clean them is by hand picking up sticks one by one.  No fun!  I would switch to mulch in a heartbeat but DH likes the rock and likes that you don't have to keep replacing it as you do with mulch.  While I prefer the look of mulch I don't think rocks look bad.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

Maybe your MIL is thinking more about the gravel driveway look than the landscaping stones look?

We have a gravel driveway, too long to pave. It looks lovely when we get fresh gravel brought in.

[QueenCat]

If it's in areas up against the house, make sure the rocks won't violate your termite contract. We had to remove ours, or our termite company was going to cancel our policy. Apparently, the water that can pool under the rocks is worse than WOOD mulch when it comes to termites.

[Carol in Cal.]

I think that lava rocks and especially those slightly sparkly white rocks look very dated, but river rock is quite popular right now.

It is still difficult to maintain, especially since it's hard to put a plastic barrier layer under it without having it show, but without it the weeds grow in between the rocks.

[Pawz4me]

Ummm . . rocks are definitely not "white trash."

 

We had the yard at our last house professionally landscaped by "the" landscaping company in this area.  They do almost all high-end landscaping around here (not that our house is all that high end).  It cost many, many $$$$$.  They recommended rock.  I'm sure they'd use mulch if that's what the customer preferred, but rock is what they recommend.  They used a reddish type of rock that coordinated well with our house colors.

[shanvan]

I think it depends on what you are doing in the area under consideration.  I would never consider rocks /c I am always adding to our soil to improve the quality.  That means I would need to A. decide to just fold the rocks in, which is obviously problematic, or B. remove every rock before adding to the soil, and then put them back.  

 

Rocks work for my neighbors b/c they don't ever change a thing.  Still, I wonder how that works.  Soil contains organic matter that will rot over time,  and that will cause the ground to sink over time, which is going to cause the rocks to sink too.  If the area in question is around your house, that can call for regrading, in which case, you face the decision above.  I had to regrade one side of our house a few years go.  Thank God no one had put rocks there!

[LostSurprise]

If you have leaves dropping into them, you can't really rake over rocks easily. At least with mulch you can add more when you're done. The raked up mulch will decompose with the leaves, and you have to add mulch every year or two anyway. 

 

If you do rake or blow over rocks you end up with rocks off the path and have to spend time picking them out of your leaves and raking them back to the path. I don't know about you, but the way our city picks up leaves they get really annoyed if there are rocks mixed in. They can break the shredder. 

 

I think rocks can look good. I just think they're more of a pain (unless you have a very sedate household or a yard person) then they're worth. 

[Spryte]

If your DH thinks it's hard to get leaves and tree stuff out of mulch, just wait till he tries to get it out of rocks!  We have areas of both, and I would never put down rocks under trees.  Never.  It is such a hassle to maintain, and if the rocks end up with bits of leaves and other debris, they look terrible.  Maybe it depends on the type of rock?  

 

I would do mulch under trees, and plan on remulching periodically to keep it looking nice.  

 

Oh, and the other issue with rocks - you must, absolutely must, put down a weed barrier.  The weed barrier will break down over time.  Trust me.  :)  Not only will it break down, it will end up with holes in it.  Or better yet, the bits of debris and leaves will work their way under the rocks and then break down and become soil for weeds!  On top of the barrier.  Fun, fun.  There's nothing quite like rocks with weeds.  And the rocks really do help those weeds grow - they hold the moisture in the soil and create a great environment.  

 

All that said, I love our areas that we've done with rock.  They are confined, and in easy to maintain areas - and the paths look nice.  But I was out with the kids just yesterday cleaning them up.  Oh, and we did have half a ton of rocks delivered and spread last fall, so we sort of have a head start this year (and that was just to "freshen up" the areas, according to the landscaper!  As maintenance.)

 

[sunnyday]

If you're mulching around plants, then organic materials all the way. Bark if you must, hardwood is better, compost if you don't mind reapplying a lot. I'm still trying to remediate parts of my poor soil 5 years later from the rocks and landscape fabric the previous owners put in. I'm sure it looked nice and low maintenance for a while, but the soil needed to breathe and to have more organic matter added and it just was not a happy situation for the plants. I wish I could make a Most Interesting Man in the World meme. "I don't always mulch, but when I do I use compost."

[MBM]

Why not put in an easy-to-maintain ground cover? Most of the leaves can be blown out and those that don't will eventually break down or get drawn into the soil by worms.

 

Otherwise, I think either mulch or rocks could work. A finely shredded mulch will knit together somewhat making it less likely to blow all over your lawn. If you go with rocks, you will want to get the right ones. Try asking some of your local nurseries what they specifically recommend. The last thing you want to do is to put down a load of the wrong rocks because getting rid of them later is a back-breaking bugger of a job.

 

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/landscape-gravel-yards-26664.html

[fairfarmhand]

We replaced our mulch with pea gravel. It looks great. Don't use plastic. The ground needs to breathe. A thick layer of pebbles (4 inches) keeps the weeds down dramatically. I like that we don't have to replace the mulch any more and it doesn't wash away all over the side walk when it rains. (slight slope there) The chickens are also less likely to scratch in it.

[kewb]

I actually have a combo of rocks and mulch.  Next to our patio I have rocks.  Over the part of the yard where the dog tore up thegrass and it just a big mud pit I have mulch.

 

Do what you like and ignore your MIL.  

[Katy]

The only thing I have to add is that once I got on an environmental kick and I put in put in a ton of flower beds with native perennials and heavy mulch. I will never mulch again because it brought in a ton of bugs.  There must have been brown recluse and centipede eggs in the mulch because we weren't in an area that wasn't warm enough for them and we found them in the house by the dozens for more than a year. 

[Moxie]

The only thing I have to add is that once I got on an environmental kick and I put in put in a ton of flower beds with native perennials and heavy mulch. I will never mulch again because it brought in a ton of bugs.  There must have been brown recluse and centipede eggs in the mulch because we weren't in an area that wasn't warm enough for them and we found them in the house by the dozens for more than a year. 

 

And you still live there?!?

[Guest]

We replaced our mulch with pea gravel. It looks great. Don't use plastic. The ground needs to breathe. A thick layer of pebbles (4 inches) keeps the weeds down dramatically. I like that we don't have to replace the mulch any more and it doesn't wash away all over the side walk when it rains. (slight slope there) The chickens are also less likely to scratch in it.

Really? I detest our pea gravel, in part because the weeds grow up through it and it is Far Harder to get the weeds out than with mulch! Also, our dog "throws" the gravel all over. I hate it big-time! But yeah, the chickens love to chuck the mulch hither and yon. *sigh* maybe we'll just brick the yard.

[prairiewindmomma]

One consideration I haven't seen mentioned is that if you live in an area with high winds (like us, in tornado alley), rocks are much more likely to break windows than mulch. It's one of the questions our insurance company asks us for our homeowner's insurance.

 

I love the look of river rock and pea gravel, but I hate the look of bright white or red lava rock. I especially hate it when people mix colors within the same view of their home. There are many multi-million dollar homes in my city with rock mulch.....but all use river rock or pebbles for their mulch.

[Katy]

And you still live there?!?

 

Not anymore!  But we did for about 2 years.  I mixed up a solution of borax, soap, and lavender and sprayed down every surface I could find. I started seeing much less spiders, but still plenty of centipedes.  It was creepy.

[Lara in Colo]

Rocks look FANTASTIC--- the first year

 

great---the second year

 

after that it could go either way--- but usually they look like crap after three years

 

[thessa516]

If your DH thinks it's hard to get leaves and tree stuff out of mulch, just wait till he tries to get it out of rocks!  

 

Spryte took the words out of my mouth, err, fingers! Rocks under a tree? NEVER! It's impossible to rake, a yard vacuum isn't strong enough (or it's too strong and will also pick up the rocks), and you end up having to hand-pick out the leaves.

 

A nice neutral mulch is the way to go. You want those leaves to blend in with the mulch. :)

[Spryte]

Rocks look FANTASTIC--- the first year

 

great---the second year

 

after that it could go either way--- but usually they look like crap after three years

So true! We've had our rock paths longer, but they are seriously maintained. When they get really full of debris and dirt, we actually shop vac the bad parts. There's no cleaning them (not to say we haven't tried!). We had the landscapers out last fall to redo everything - basically they refreshed the weed barrier, and added a lot more rocks. We paid for half a ton, but he said it was about a full ton because he had extra.

 

I honestly wouldn't opt for rocks again unless we move back the desert, where xeriscaping makes sense. But for us, now that we have them we'll maintain them to avoid the backbreaking work of removing them.

[Redeemed7]

Rocks are white trash? lol Bring on the trash I guess. I'd have to vote for rocks. My husband and I spent tons of weekends when we first moved into our house scooping up nasty mulch. That red color doesn't last long. Unless you are planning on redoing it quite often, I'd go with pea gravel. We have about 20 trees in our yard and that's no exaggeration. In fact, we probably have more than that. We just use a leaf blower. Some times we use a rake to get out a few sticks. Oh, we don't have any problem with water under it either. We have it next to our house with weed cloth under it and all around our playground.

[msrift]

That's funny that the landscaper recommended rocks as ours recommended mulch because it will hold moisture and help keep the plants healthier. According to her, rocks tend to hold the heat and 'cook' the plants. I suppose it depends on your climate and plants.

[shanvan]

Rocks are white trash? lol Bring on the trash I guess. I'd have to vote for rocks. My husband and I spent tons of weekends when we first moved into our house scooping up nasty mulch. That red color doesn't last long. Unless you are planning on redoing it quite often, I'd go with pea gravel. We have about 20 trees in our yard and that's no exaggeration. In fact, we probably have more than that. We just use a leaf blower. Some times we use a rake to get out a few sticks. Oh, we don't have any problem with water under it either. We have it next to our house with weed cloth under it and all around our playground.

Not all mulch is red.  I'm not a fan of red mulch.

[Redeemed7]

Not all mulch is red. I'm not a fan of red mulch.

You're right. I guess that wasn't clear from my post. I wasn't trying to suggest that. Someone else mentioned colors and just wanted to note that it doesn't last long in my opinion. The kind we had at our current place wasn't red (I don't think anyway), but again in my opinion I would never choose to put it down. That of course is my opinion and as another poster pointed out it may depend on your location, climate, etc.

 

Of course there is also varying degrees of taste too. According to what the OP's mother-in-law thinks, I guess we'd have to go with one man's trash is another man's treasure. lol

[Ewe Mama]

We moved to a house that had a thick layer of rocks on all the front landscaping. Think ancient yew hedges, some of them dying, dropping needles everywhere. We get the bright idea of having the old bushes removed and digging out the rock and putting new plants it. Great in theory, but lousy in reality. I don't know how many inches of rock they put in, but we took out at least seven inches of it, figured to leave some rock to help with drainage, and added new soil before planting. The first year everything looked nice, the next year all of our new shrubs and trees were dead. There were still too many rocks apparently, although a landscaper friend of our said we would be fine. Very expensive problem to fix. Stick with mulch. It is much easier to work with.

[Outinthegarden]

For what it's worth: I live in 15 wooded acres - leaves everywhere in the fall - as in my kids use the stihl gas powered blower almost everyday - kind of leaves. :lol:  When we moved into this house about 7 years ago I wanted to put a dry creek bed in where the water always ran when we got alot of rain. My husband let me go with my idea. Those who say leaves are hard to get out of rock are correct! It was pretty the first couple of years, but now the leaves have turned the rocks brown and dull. Not to mention you can never get all the leaves out unless you use your hands...

 

Last year I pressure washed the river rock - so it looks like new again, but I don't know that I will ever do that again. :banghead:   My DH thought I had lost my mind when he came home! Although it looks great again.

 

I would do the mulch. If you have access to cardboard boxes - it helps if you put those down first, with no gaps, then wet them and then put your mulch on top. It will help your soil, really keeps the weeds at bay and it will extend the life of your mulch so you don't have to reapply so soon.

[vonfirmath]

. Stick with mulch. It is much easier to work with.

 

But what about the spiders and centipedes?!

[elfgivas]

we are in year ten of having beach pebbles for a front lawn.  we just bought a whole lot more to do the sides and back of the house.  this is not inexpensive, so its hard for me to imagine the trashy comment.

 

because they are beach pebbles, they are rounded, so walking in bare feet is fine.

we put pond liner under the front, and cloth liner the rest of the places.

 

we get huge winds frequently, and the pebbles do not blow.  tornado country would be a different matter, but we had 65 mph winds yesterday, which blew off the spa cover even though it was latched on, and the pebbles did not move. 

 

we have white granite right beside the house, then railway ties, then a brick pathway, more railway ties, the beach pebbles, more railway ties and a split rail fence.  

 

we also have lots of pine trees.  we use a large rake, and it works beautifully with the beach pebbles.  

 

hth,

ann

[magnificent_baby]

We have river rock, and while it looks nice, it's a huge pain to try to plant new plants or replace the weed barrier. DH and I have this conversation every year. He prefers the rock because you don't have to redo every few years, and I would prefer the mulch to be able to change around or plant new plants. Cleaning leaves and debris is not easy, and has to be done by hand (but will watch this thread for any new ideas!). We live in a semi-high end neighborhood and almost everyone has river rock. 

[Slartibartfast]

Mulch, rocks are a pain to remove once they are there.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

But what about the spiders and centipedes?!

There are many mulch options, pick one that is less attractive to them.

 

We use cocoa pod mulch up next to house because termites have no interest that kind.

[StaceyinLA]

I like pine needles best of all. Cheap, easy, decompose into the beds and add nutrients, etc. Plus, once they're there, they stay put. I find mulch floats away. I also don't care that the leaves get mixed in because it gives it a naturalized look, but then, we do live in the country, so I like our beds to have a more natural appearance. 

[Danestress]

We're doing some landscaping in our front yard this summer.  DH wants to put down rocks instead of mulch because we have a wooded lot and it is really difficult to get the leaves and other tree stuff out of the mulch.

 

My MIL (who has a lot of opinions) thinks that rocks look like "white trash". 

 

I don't care either way, I just want it done.

 

Does the rest of the world think that rocks look tacky or is it just my MIL??

 

In areas that are really wooded, I would not mulch or put down rocks.  I would shred leaves and use that.  It looks fine and is cheap.  If you add in grass clippings, the nitrogen will help the leaves decompose, I am told.

 

In areas that are landscaped I would use mulch.  There are a number of types of mulch.  We use the hardwood, and have never had the problems with bugs someone else is reporting.  Ours looks nice, holds moisture, and contributes to long term soil quality.

 

I typically see rocks/pepples in areas that are not being actively gardened.  They can look nice for a path, around an AC unit, etc.  I don't think they would be right in a flower bed or directly around shrubs and perennials.  How do you ever amend the soil if you have it covered with pebbles?  Or move plants around and add things?  If I were actively gardening an area, I would find rocks intolerable.  Would you have to rake all the stones out in order to add compost?

[ErinE]

But what about the spiders and centipedes?!

If you're concerned about bugs while gardening, I highly recommend an apartment. ;-)

 

ETA: I prefer mulch. We had both in our last home, and rock was difficult to maintain. Weeds still got through the landscape cloth, moving rock was backbreaking work, and switching out plants was difficult. Mulch, though it needs to be added every year, improves the soil after it breaks down. Much of our garden was hard-pan from years of construction vehicles driving on it. The beds that had 7+ years of mulch were dark brown dirt a foot down. The grass had, at best, 1-2 inches.

[MBM]

Leaf mulch/mold makes a fantastic mulch. It is my favorite by far.

 

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/basic-leaf-mold

[TGHEALTHYMOM]

Talk about tacky..... I used Cardboard last year as a layer over a cheap weed cloth... then on top of that I put a light colored, untreated mulch... No weeds came through at all so I had a nice place to walk in front of my 2 square foot gardens.  I also tried this between my cucumbers and it worked there as well.  It did not harm the plants at all either! 

 

I plan to make some huge permanent pathways in our Large garden that is also highly visible to keep weeds out and look better.  Anything is better than weeds in my opinion.

 

I think if you really want rocks it depends on the area. They are expensive, but lovely on some banks in our area.

[shanvan]

Talk about tacky..... I used Cardboard last year as a layer over a cheap weed cloth... then on top of that I put a light colored, untreated mulch... No weeds came through at all so I had a nice place to walk in front of my 2 square foot gardens.  I also tried this between my cucumbers and it worked there as well.  It did not harm the plants at all either! 

 

I plan to make some huge permanent pathways in our Large garden that is also highly visible to keep weeds out and look better.  Anything is better than weeds in my opinion.

 

I think if you really want rocks it depends on the area. They are expensive, but lovely on some banks in our area.

Okay, I'll fess up to a tacky weed barrier.  I used an old rug b/t 2 beds last year.  IT is not visible to the neighbors at all, though.  But, once the neighbors have been barraged by a big screen TV (see relevant thread) they'll think nothing of a rug for mulch!

[vonfirmath]

If you're concerned about bugs while gardening, I highly recommend an apartment. ;-)

 

ETA: I prefer mulch. We had both in our last home, and rock was difficult to maintain. Weeds still got through the landscape cloth, moving rock was backbreaking work, and switching out plants was difficult. Mulch, though it needs to be added every year, improves the soil after it breaks down. Much of our garden was hard-pan from years of construction vehicles driving on it. The beds that had 7+ years of mulch were dark brown dirt a foot down. The grass had, at best, 1-2 inches.

 

I'm concerned about brown recluse spiders, centipedes -- that kind of bug.  when I see worms and (especially) Roly-polys I call my kids over to look

 

(And I wouldn't be doing much gardening if I didn't have to. I'm trying to fine the least work way to maintain the yard we already have. and sometimes that does involve planting new plants to fill in holes, taking care of the overgrown areas, and perhaps laying new mulch -- if what we have is mulch already.)

[hmvaughan4]

We use cocoa mulch.

[Redeemed7]

 

Someone mentioned winds earlier, but I couldn't spot it again to quote it. We live in tornado ally and often have high winds. We had a microburst about five years ago. I don't remember any rocks being moved, but it did tear off part of our roof and tossed the playground across the yard among other things. Of course, I'm sure it could move the pea gravel we have, but a tornado will also drive straw into a tree.

 

There's probably no perfect solution. Maybe see what your neighbors or someone close that has a similar amount of trees, landscape, and so forth are using and ask if they are happy with it. That may be a better solution for you since people on the web will have a variety of situations that may or may not work for you.