Bark mulch - yay or nay

[penstemon]

I have one fairly shaded bed (conifers on the other side of the fence ). The plants in it are actually growing, albeit slowly. I am thinking of putting bark mulch down. I know it should help with the water retention & hopefully weed suppression too. What does it look like though? Is it really noticeable? The general style of the garden is cottage jungle.

what plants are in the bed?

I bought composted Bark from compost Direct it was excellent and looked really nice when laid down. It had a natural look to it and my plants have done well. I would definitely do it.

I like the idea of getting it online! There are skimmia at the rear and azaleas at the front.

And a lot of bulbs too