Understanding the Different Types of Mulch
If you love working on your landscape, you’ve likely struggled with pairing your mulch with your landscape at some point. With the various kinds and colors available, it’s easy to get lost in the details. But that’s alright, it happens to everyone.
Perhaps you’re new to gardening. Or, you’ve been gardening for some time, and you just never quite got the hang of selecting the right mulch. Or you could be an old hat, but just need a refresher or a new perspective.
At Zimmerman Mulch, we want you to enjoy your gardening and be happy looking at what you’ve planted, so we’ve written this quick guide to using different types of mulch. We’ll discuss how the mulch types compare and provide pairing suggestions for the different mulch colors. Whether you’re reading this in winter, planning for spring, or starting the spring season with more questions than answers, this guide is for you!
So grab a shovel and rake, and let’s dig in!
TL;DR - Understanding the Different Types of Mulch
- Aesthetics vs. Utility: Dyed mulches (Colonial Black, Russet Red) are prized for high-impact aesthetics, while natural options (Premium Bark, Wood Chips) offer a more rustic look and long-term utility.
- Soil Improvement: Mushroom mulch is distinct because it's primarily compost, offering the highest soil enrichment and nutrient content, whereas others primarily provide moisture retention and weed control.
- Durability and Traffic: Playground cover (rubber or EWF) is specifically designed for superior durability and safety cushioning in high-traffic play areas.
- Cost and Scale: Nature blend is noted as the most affordable option, making it practical for large properties or where a low-maintenance solution is needed (e.g., erosion control).
Why Choosing the Right Mulch Matters
Have you ever bought cheap mulch from the garden supply store, only to find that your plants didn’t improve, or worse, died? Or maybe you bought some bulk mulch for your playground or garden paths, only to find it spouting weeds like it didn’t matter. Perhaps no matter what you try, your neighbor’s landscaping looks so much better than yours.
It’s not that it’s because you’re not using the expensive stuff, though that can be a factor if used in the right situation. The truth is, each type of mulch has a different purpose for landscaping, and knowing what’s in it is as vital as the cost of your mulch.
Premium bark mulch, which is what we primarily sell at Zimmerman Mulch, is used for general moisture, weed, and temperature control. Made from a combination of bark, wood chips, and organic materials such as hay, grass, and moss, this mulch is dyed to create a smooth visual transition from plant to ground.
Organic mulch, made from composting plant material or mushrooms, is closer to fertilizer and is full of nutrients that slowly release into your soil, feeding your plants.
Decorative mulches made from ground-up tires are ideal for cushioning children from falls on the playground. Wood chips are ground-up tree material and make an excellent medium for footpaths, erosion control, weed control, and general landscaping.
With a variety of mulch types available, understanding their unique properties helps homeowners and gardeners select the best option for their needs. Let’s expand on these mulch types, explaining their appearance and ideal uses.
Premium Bark Mulch: Benefits, Appearance, and Best Uses
Premium bark mulch, often made from pine, cedar, or hardwood, is a popular choice for landscaping due to its natural look and long-lasting benefits. It provides excellent moisture retention and weed suppression. The mulch's rich brown color adds a clean, earthy look to garden beds, making it the mulch of choice for most flower and shrub beds. Its durability also means it won’t need to be replaced as frequently as other mulch types.
But mulch can also be too much of a good thing—excess mulch can form mulch volcanoes, which have the potential to smother plants, and even trees. Find out about mulch volcanoes and how you can prevent harming your trees and plants in this blog.
By choosing plants native to or well-adapted to Pennsylvania's climate, you'll create a landscape that thrives without constant intervention.
Colonial Black Mulch: Color Retention, Texture, and Considerations
Colonial black mulch is prized for its deep, dark color that contrasts beautifully with vibrant flowers and plants. This mulch is often dyed to maintain its bold color over time. Quality organic mulches are dyed with natural sources such as charcoal or vegetable-based dyes and therefore do not leach harmful substances into the soil.
The one catch with black mulch is that the dye fades over time due to sun exposure, so you’ll need to perform maintenance by replacing or adding mulch. It’s best used in decorative areas and flower beds.
- Benefits: Aesthetic appeal, long-lasting color
- Appearance: Deep black, sleek texture
- Best Uses: High-contrast landscaping for decorative flower beds. Great for a striking backdrop for contemporary homes, making deep green foliage and vibrant pink, yellow, and white flowers pop dramatically.
Coffee Brown Mulch: Versatility and Aesthetic Appeal
Coffee brown mulch is a versatile option with a warm, rich color that complements a wide range of plants and garden designs. It’s perfect for both modern and traditional landscaping styles. This mulch works well in gardens, vegetable beds, and around trees. Its fine texture and nutrient-rich composition help improve the soil while providing effective weed control and moisture retention.
While coffee brown mulch isn’t made of or dyed with coffee, it’s not a bad idea to sprinkle your dry coffee grounds over your mulch, as it may deter slugs and snails. You can even mix a little in with your soil to improve conditions for plants that like acidic soil. Don’t overdo it, though, as excess coffee in the soil can be toxic to plants.
- Benefits: Aesthetic appeal, organic benefits, moisture retention
- Appearance: Rich brown with fine texture
- Best Uses: Garden beds, vegetable gardens, tree bases. The classic, woodsy feel of dark brown mulch is an excellent match for evergreen beds, ferns, and rustic settings.
Russet Red Mulch: When and Where It Works Best
Russet red mulch offers a vibrant, reddish hue that stands out in the landscape. This color is particularly popular for creating a dramatic effect around plants with contrasting greens and flowers. Like other dyed mulches, its color may fade over time, but it’s still effective for moisture retention and weed prevention. This mulch type is often used in decorative landscapes or for highlighting specific garden features.
- Benefits: Color, moisture retention, weed control
- Appearance: Reddish-brown with a rustic look
- Best Uses: Accent gardens with ornamental plants. Great for complementing warm-toned exteriors such as brick or stucco and for highlighting flowers such as sunflowers, marigolds, and daylilies.
Playground Cover: Durability for High-Traffic Areas
Playground mulch is designed for durability and safety. Made from recycled tires or finely shredded wood known as Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF), it’s ideal for areas with heavy foot traffic, including play areas and paths. Its soft, cushioned texture helps protect against injury in play areas while providing moisture retention and weed control. This mulch type is highly durable and requires less frequent replacement, making it an excellent choice for high-traffic areas.
What’s the difference between regular mulch and EWF? Quite a bit, actually.
- Benefits: Durability, safety, non-toxic
- Appearance: Shredded rubber or wood chips
- Best Uses: Playgrounds, high-traffic areas
Note that playground mulch, unlike other types of mulch, contains little to no nutrients, and offers no benefit when it breaks down—its purpose is primarily as a medium for foot traffic. For playground safety, a depth of 4-6 inches is recommended.
Nature Blend Mulch: Practical Uses for Wooded Landscapes and Erosion Control
Nature Blend mulch is an affordable, practical option for larger properties or wooded landscapes. It is often made from recycled wood or wood scraps, offering an eco-friendly solution. While it may not retain as much color as other mulches, it performs well for erosion control, ground cover, weed control, and in areas where a natural, low-maintenance mulch is needed. Unlike
- Benefits: Budget-friendly, good for erosion control
- Appearance: Coarse, natural wood texture
- Best Uses: Wooded areas, erosion control, and large properties. The pleasant, warm tones eventually fade to a light gray and are ideal for natural settings, brightening shaded spots, and complementing cooler tones.
Like playground mulch, this mulch does not contain many nutrients, as it is intended for low-maintenance areas. Because the colors are natural, no chemicals will leach into the soil as it breaks down. For best results, you’ll want your mulch 2 to 4 inches deep, or you’ll find weeds sprouting.
Mushroom Mulch: Nutrient-Rich Option for Soil Improvement
Mushroom mulch is actually more of a compost, and is made from the byproducts of mushroom farming. It is an excellent choice for gardeners looking to enrich their soil. It’s rich in organic material and can improve soil structure over time. Its earthy, dark color also enhances the aesthetic of garden beds, while its high nutrient content promotes healthy plant growth. However, it may have a slightly higher pH, which could be a consideration for acid-loving plants.
Mushroom mulch has a bad reputation for being smelly. The truth is, all compost smells, but mushroom compost has a more distinct odor.
- Benefits: Soil enrichment, nutrients, moisture retention
- Appearance: Dark brown to black, earthy texture
- Best Uses: Vegetable gardens, soil improvement, flower beds
Wood Chips: Natural Moisture Retention and Long-Term Performance
Wood chips are another natural mulch type that offers excellent moisture retention and long-term performance. These chips decompose slowly, providing lasting benefits without frequent replenishment. While they have a more rustic appearance, they blend well in natural or wooded landscapes and are especially useful for paths, trails, and tree bases.
- Benefits: Long-lasting, natural look, moisture retention
- Appearance: Coarse, irregular chunks of wood
- Best Uses: Tree bases, garden paths, natural landscapes
Some Quick Mulching Tips
You can’t just dump the stuff on your flower beds and walk away. Here are a few tips to get the most out of your mulch:
- Mulch is bought by the cubic foot. How much mulch do you need? Measure the square footage of the area you want to mulch. Then, multiply the area you wish to mulch by the depth you want your mulch to be in inches (gardening experts recommend 2-4 inches). Then, divide that number by 12. That number will be the amount of mulch you need, in cubic feet.
For example: You’ve determined that the area you want to mulch is 1,230 square feet. You’ve decided on a 3-inch-deep layer of mulch for your space, so 1,230 square feet x 3 = 3,690 square feet. Divide by 12 to get 307.5. That’s the cubic footage of mulch you’ll need.
- Depending on the time of the year, mulching serves different purposes:
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- Spring mulching kicks off the growing season, providing a head start on weed control, offering shade to help regulate moisture and temperature, and preparing your plants to receive nutrients.
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- Summer’s high heat and sunlight can dry out the soil, so the key is to keep things cool and moist by replenishing bare spots with mulch.
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- Fall is the time to add mulch to your garden to insulate the soil as the ground cools, while helping it retain moisture and repel insects.
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- Winter sees little plant growth, though mulch helps prevent soil erosion and maintain soil structure, keeping the soil ready for planting again in the spring.
- Don’t just use mulch for your flower beds. Creative use of mulch can transform it from a flowerbed preserver to an accent piece that adds character and depth to your landscape.
- Excess mulch can form mulch volcanoes, potentially smothering plants and even trees. Find out about mulch volcanoes and how you can prevent harming your trees and plants in this blog.
- For more information on mulch, see our blog.
Helping You Choose the Right Mulch for Your Landscape Needs
Selecting the right mulch type for your landscape significantly impacts your garden’s health and appearance. You want landscape products that are consistently high quality and available whenever you need them. As important as selecting the right mulch is choosing a supplier you can depend on.
Zimmerman Mulch is here to be your go-to for landscaping supplies. Family-owned and operated since 1998, we’ve built our company on hard work, honest dealings, quality products, and dependable delivery. We make our own mulch, so you’ll know it's fresh and of the quality only your local supplier can provide.
Whether you're looking for aesthetic appeal, moisture retention, or soil improvement, there’s a mulch type suited for every need. By understanding the differences in mulch types, you can make an informed decision that will enhance your garden for years to come.
Contact or visit us today, and let’s make your landscaping beautiful together!