There are many ways to use mulch for decorative purposes.

Trees – If you have a group of trees on your lawn that you want to give a little class to, you can add mulch. Choose darker mulch for lighter trees, and lighter shades for darker trees.

The first step is to create a shape around the trees so that you will know where to place the mulch. You can do this using string or wood blocks. You should create a shape that is not a perfect circle, but one that will showcase your trees. Take your time to get the shape right. You can decide how far from the trees you will want to go or how close.

After creating a shape, you will need to rake inside the area and remove all grass and weeds. This will give you a clean work area. You should put down landscape fabric or black plastic before putting down the mulch. This will help you control the weeds. Pulling weeds from mulch is not fun and can take a long time. Try to reduce the weeds as much as possible.

Now it is time to put down the mulch. Spread an even amount of mulch into the shape you have created with a rake and make sure you cover it completely. Maintain the mulch as you would any other type of mulch.

Flower beds – When creating a flower bed, you should make sure that you aerate the soil first and then use Soil Solarization to kill all weed seeds.

You can choose to plant your flowers at this point, or you can wait until you have put down your landscape fabric. After planting, place a layer of mulch on the bed.

Rocks – Placing mulch around rocks can give your lawn a clean, polished look that will cultivate vine growth. Planting creeping vines and other vines around rocks will give your lawn a rustic, country look that will last for a long time.

You do not have to use landscape fabric, but you should be prepared to weed the area.

Mulch should be replaced every few months. You should keep the mulch clean and weed the areas before the weed grow too big. Each year, you should till the soil to get rid of debris and weeds that have not had a chance to grow.