[Becky]

Thanks Bama and Handieman! Will check both of them out.

Becky

[lm01]

Rubber mulch really has a very nice look, I had it put down but something to consider before you put it down. If you have plantings that loose a lot of leaves and drops into the mulch boy........what an ugly look. You just can't get those small leaves out of the stuff. If you have a lot of broad leaves I'd say you have no problems.

Good luck in this decision

[bamafan]

I used put a layer of pine straw then when it would fade put a layer of pine bark as you do Handie. Seemed to enrich the soil after the bottom layer broke down.

[JohnN]

Bama, I thinkthere is some kind of black film (or I've used plastic too) put under the rocks to discourage weeds and such.

handieman, I've got pine bark nuggets here, and while it's going back into the earth, seems like ongoing maintenance that I'd sooner be rid of.

[l2ridehd]

It is a black "landscape screening" as it has to allow water to go back into the ground. You can buy this in the nursery section of Home Depot or Lowes. Plastic will not work.

[JohnN]

l2ridehd ,
that's it, the landscape screening. And actually I've used plastic (like the kind you put down when painting, or visqueen) successfully, but you have to leave a wide space around plantings.

[SteveFromNY]

My experience using the weed block black plastic cover for under the mulch was very negative. It will successfully keep the weeds out for awhile (maybe a season) but soon enough weeds accumulate on top of the plastic and under the decaying mulch. The weeds actually grow on top of the weed block. So you're back to pullig weeds and now there is a layer of plastic that makes digging or other maintenance a pain.