What is Mulch? What is Decorative Stone? And what's right for you?

There are countless benefits to adding either a mulch or decorative stone layer to your planting beds throughout your property. For some clients, the choice narrows down to aesthetics, time investment, and monetary investment. For others, the choice might be decided for them by their property's makeup, the topography, the shade/sun, drainage, etc.

Mulch

Reasons for applying mulch include conserving soil moisture, improving fertility and soil health, reducing weed growth (note that we do not recommend placing weed barrier fabric underneath mulch as mulch will create its own natural layer and barrier), and enhancing the visual appeal of the area.

Types of Mulch

• Cedar

• Hemlock

• Bark

• Dyed (Red, Brown, Black)

Decorative stone

Some of the benefits of installing decorative stone include the polished aesthetic stone adds to a property, drainage, weed control (a weed barrier fabric can be placed under stones; we strongly discourage clients from placing weed barrier under mulch), and the low maintenance that stone brings because it does not decay like mulch.

Types of Decorative Stone

• Delaware Stone

• Lava Stone

• River Rounds

• River Copers

Mix + Match

In areas of your property which have a natural hill and where you may be experiencing water run-off during heavy rains, we might recommend installing a Dry River bed where we'll mix Delaware Stone and boulders that can help control the water's path and overall impact. We'll often recommend installing a mix of mulch and stone in these areas to take advantage of the planting possibilities along the Dry River Bed.

Why Choose Auburn Sky for your Mulch + Stone Installation?

We've been in the landscape industry for over 20 years and have become particularly familiar with the best results regarding mulch types and stone types for properties throughout Northern NJ. Whichever you choose — mulch or decorative stone — we'll always offer our experienced opinion on what could be the best solution for your property when all factors (such as existing property conditions, time available to maintain, future plans, budget intended, etc) are responsibly considered.