Rubber Mulch For Landscaping – A Good Or Bad Idea?

That is the yr I’m lastly going to start out performing some landscaping on our property. I don’t suppose that that is the yr that I’ll make enormous progress in that space since I’ve another enormous tasks to concentrate on. Particularly, a substantial amount of this yr might be centered on our bed room suite. However on the very least, I’d like to mark off some planting beds in sure areas and get these areas marked off, weed-free, and mulched. After which possibly I’ll purchase a number of timber and shrubs and get these planted.

My primary objective for this yr within the space of landscaping might be to concentrate on the planting beds across the entrance and sides of the home, the planting mattress round my workshop, and the areas lining the entrance sidewalk and driveway. As I’ve talked about many instances, landscaping shouldn’t be my wheelhouse. I really feel so misplaced and utterly out of my component once I begin enthusiastic about these tasks, however I’m excited to step exterior of my consolation zone, get my fingers in some dust, and provides it my finest effort.

Fortunately, I gained’t be winging it and not using a plan or imaginative and prescient. In case you’ll bear in mind, Matt purchased me a session with a neighborhood panorama designer for my birthday a few years in the past, and that designer came back with a gorgeous plan for me. That panorama plan was so fairly that I had it printed as massive as attainable (a free reward from a really beneficiant reader!), and I framed it for the wall of my studio. (You can see that project here.) Once I sit at my desk, that panorama plan is instantly in entrance of me, so I get to admire it each single day.

I’m going to attempt to persist with this plan as intently as I can, however I’m certain I’ll be making some tweaks alongside the way in which. The designer did precisely what I wished and requested for, however virtually talking, my dream for our property that I shared with him might be means out of our value vary. However I’ll use this plan as my information and get as shut as I can inside our funds.

However right here’s the general view of the plan…

Like I stated, it’s formidable. 😀 However I’m simply going to start out with child steps. And marking off some planting beds and getting these weed-free and mulched looks like a child step I can deal with this yr.

However whereas I used to be at Dwelling Depot and Lowe’s to see what was out there to cowl planting beds, I got here throughout this rubber mulch.

I’m certain I’ve heard of this earlier than, however I simply didn’t suppose something of it or log it into my reminiscence as a result of it wasn’t one thing I used to be occupied with on the time. However since I used to be particularly in search of one thing to cowl planting beds, I used to be like, “Wait! What? Rubber mulch? That’s a factor?!“

I like so many issues about this. In the beginning, I like that wealthy, darkish colour. It is available in a number of colours, however the darkish brown is what caught my eye. I like that it doesn’t have to get replaced every year. I like that it gained’t decompose. And I like that it’s created from recycled supplies which can be saved out of the landfills. What I didn’t love about it’s that this specific one is chunks of rubber. Plus, I puzzled if rubber would leach one thing into the bottom that might or might be dangerous to vegetation or people.

So I sort of filed that concept behind my thoughts and moved on. However final night time I got here again to it as a result of now that the entrance steps of my workshop are completed (you can see those here if you missed that post), I’m anxious to nail down a plan for the beds across the workshop and the strolling path from the workshop steps to the carport. Right here’s the overall thought of what this space will finally seem like…

In fact, it gained’t be precisely like that. You may see that within the design, the strolling path goes from the aspect of a entrance porch in entrance of the workshop to the world between the workshop and the carport. The plan was clearly designed for a constructing that sits proper at floor degree. In actuality, the workshop sits 15 inches off of the bottom, so as an alternative of somewhat porch in entrance, I’ve steps. And as an alternative of a degree concrete space between the carport and the workshop, I’ve a ramp.

So the strolling path might want to come off of the entrance of the steps as an alternative of the aspect, and it might want to go on to the carport as an alternative of the ramp. However these are minor changes. The general plan can nonetheless take form, together with that cute little freestanding spherical deck off of the entrance left nook of the workshop.

However again to that rubber mulch. With that concept in thoughts, I searched on-line final night time to see what different manufacturers and kinds had been out there, and I came across this shredded rubber mulch.

Now that’s extra prefer it! That appears precisely like actual mulch, proper?! It’s so a lot better than these chunks of rubber. And sure, the upfront value is much more than common mulch, however the product description says that it maintains it’s colour for twelve years. TWELVE YEARS!! And it really has a 12-year colour guarantee. That’s an entire lot of time saved when in comparison with having to re-mulch planting beds every year.

The corporate says it doesn’t appeal to pests or ants like wooden mulch can. (Once more, I’ve no expertise with actual mulch to know if it does or doesn’t appeal to pests, so I’m simply passing alongside what they are saying.) They declare it conserves floor moisture and might cut back water utilization as much as 30%, which sounds nice for an space like central Texas with our scorching scorching, dry summers. They are saying it doesn’t fade, rot, or compress. It doesn’t require any upkeep. And better of all, they declare it’s non-toxic and secure for people, animals, and the setting. The outline says it “doesn’t launch any chemical substances into the Earth throughout its lifetime.”

I can’t see a draw back for utilizing rubber mulch apart from the upfront value. However all of these different issues appear to make it value that preliminary value. Proper? And whereas it doesn’t have very many buyer opinions on the web site, the few buyer opinions are all glowing opinions with 5-star scores. Actually, one of many opinions says that this doesn’t worsen allergy symptoms or bronchial asthma like wooden mulch can, and one other one says it seems to be and really feel like actual wooden mulch.

So, what say you about rubber mulch? Have you ever used it? Had been you happy with it? Did it final? And when you’ve used it, what model did you employ? I’d like to know your ideas and experiences as a result of it sounds so good that I’m able to make a purchase order. However as at all times, I prefer to get opinions on these things (particularly in these areas which can be so exterior of my areas of experience and information) earlier than leaping in with each ft on one thing like this. Is rubber mulch a good suggestion? Are there any downsides that they’re not sharing? Inform me all the pieces you understand and have skilled with rubber mulch.

Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and adorn the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do the vast majority of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.