borders and bark chippings

[crikey]

So lucky to have so many people to ask!!!

We have a lawn with borders and obviously there is weeding to do all the time. We have some shrubs and dh thought that we could put bark chippings over the soil so it looks tidier. Does anyone know what will happen with the weeds? Daft I know , do they grow through the chippings or die? Does anyone have this and can recommend?

THank you

[iota]

we have bark round our shrubs and it really does keep the weeds down. We don't have an underlayer of plastic, just a thick layer of bark.

The cat likes it too - giant litter tray.

[iota]

have to disagree with you trefusis - have only topped up our bark about 3 times in 10 years. Mind you our garden is small, enclosed and sheltered, with lots of shrubs, so not a lot of exposed border .

[hub2dee]

Bark chip is lovely. Go for a thick layer. I'd gor for at least 3 inches (this is really quite a lot) but it will help retain warmth / moisture and make it much harder for the weeds to get a look in.

You can bark chip paths etc. too Best depth here is 4 - 6 (again this feels like an insane amount but it will get compacted etc). A membrane at the bottom will help keep the soil / chips separated, even when compacted and means it is easy to refresh the whole load if you ever want to go to a different material (chippings etc.).

Maintenance is easiest with some kind of gravel board / brick edging to retain the chips away from areas where it isn't wanted.

[milliways]

We found the best things for our enormous rockeries (One started as a pile of rubble from previous owners extension) which have trees growing in them so Very difficult to dig in, was coloured stone/flint chippings. It doesn't rot down, provides all year colour and any weeds that get through are sooo easy to pull out. The bluebells make it though every year and bare patches no longer look bare. More expensive but highly recommended.
We also made one part of a border into our beach. We put down small stones/gravel over a liner, then had "driftwood" or old logs, large pine cones, and every year we add shells from the real beach. I am planning to extend it this year as we have so many fullgrown trees that large areas of the garden cannot be dug due to roots.

[JiminyCricket]

OK, I'm REALLY lazy, but i would recommend putting a weed control fabric underneath the bark. It's not very expensive and means you don't have to be quite so thourough weeding first. Weeds (and the huge amount of bulbs in our garden) will find their way out of the edges and wherever you cut it to put plants in, but they are then easy to deal with. Our bark needs topping up now, about three years in, but not desperately.