[JohnN]

Experience, Opinions, Etc. welcome as I ponder whether to use river rock, some other rock, or a plant based material (mulch, bark, etc) or something else (ie: ground up tires)

Situation: Patio Villa, Budget minded, wanted LOW (read as NO) maintenance.
Will get to the plants another time, just wanting to firm up the foundation.

Initial thoughts - rock - costlier but long lasting, doesn't retain moisture for bugs, not weed friendly.

Mulch, if used, would be less expensive initially, but likely would have to be eucalyptus or cypress (not good to use cypress, is it? cypress folks say it's endangered) to deter bugs.

What do you think?