Would you use bark/wood chippings on beds?

[OllieWollieWoo]

I was moaning to a friend re the number of weeds that pop up in my flower beds and she swears by bark/wood chippings as a way of keeping weeds at bay and keeping mositure in the ground etc. Her garden does always look neat and tidy!

Am really in 2 minds about using it - what do you think?

I have bark chips everywhere that would be bare soil - it does reduce the weeds a lot, though you have to use it quite thick. It also improves the soil as it rots down - after several years we have lovely rich soil!

yes,recommend it. and it looks quite nice too. have it in my garden

I am also of two minds about wood bark so I do use in the flower beds and don't use in the vegetable beds.

Yes, definitely. Any mulch is a good thing imo.

I do - smells a bit at first and when it rains but it does look nice and def keeps weeds down. Lidl/Aldi do big bags for about £2. They do blow a bit over the lawn and jam lawn mower - you need to sweep them back occasionally.

It's good stuff, and does keep the weeds down, but does eventually rot away to nothing.

I put down 250 quids worth about 5 yrs ago and it's gone.

In one area though, with nasty perennial weeds, I put down a membrane, then bark. This area is still completely weedfree after 5yrs, and the bark is still intact.

£250

I've only got little beds!!

It's not gone to nothing - all the goodness is still there

The birds do make a terrible mess digging under it and scattering it all about the path/lawn though.

Thanks for responses - looks like I'll be joining the throngs at the garden centre this weekend to get some bark chips!

We have a terrible weed problem in our beds and was also wondering whether to get some bark to slow them down.
Does anyone know if this will encourage the cats to use it as a giant litter try?.

Try = tray

I have just barked most of my garden (the trampoline was killing the grass). I love it! Ours is quite small tho, so it only cost £60 odd for all of it apart from the patch of lawn we have left.

I have done the beds, but I only have a few shrubs, as I am a pots gal.

Some of the dandelions have started to poke through however, so I wish we had put a membrane down first. But it looks great.