Mulch Installation & Bed Refresh

Mulch is the cheapest way to make a property look cared for, and the most commonly botched. The two failures we see are depth and edge. Too little mulch and weeds come straight through; too much — the mulch volcano piled against a tree trunk — holds moisture against bark and kills the tree slowly. We install a consistent two-to-three inch layer, pulled back off trunks and stems, over beds that have actually been weeded and edged first.

The prep is where the season-long result comes from. We pull existing weeds by the root rather than burying them, cut a clean spade edge that defines the bed and stops lawn from creeping in, and remove or turn compacted old mulch so the new layer does not sit on a matted crust that sheds water. Where a bed has degraded landscape fabric with roots grown through it, we tell you honestly whether to pull it out now or work around it.

Hardwood mulch is the workhorse and breaks down into the soil the fastest, which is good for beds you want to improve. Dyed black and brown mulches hold their color noticeably longer and read as a sharper, more formal look, which suits foundation beds along a house or beds framed by a new fence line. We quote by the bed with the yardage stated up front, and we tarp and clean walks, drives and patios before we leave.