When you’re planning a project at your Simsbury home, the terminology can get confusing. Do you need premium bark mulch, or would natural wood chips be better? While they both come from trees, they serve very different purposes in your yard.
Using the wrong material can lead to wasted money, poor plant health, or extra weeding. At Thrive Farm, we want you to get the best results from our bulk landscape supplies. Here is the professional breakdown to help you choose.
What is Bark Mulch? (The Garden Bed Standard)
Bark mulch is typically made from the shredded bark of trees (like hemlock, cedar, or pine). It is finer, softer, and more uniform than wood chips.
- Best For: Flower beds, around perennials, and foundation plantings.
- Key Benefit: Nutrient Cycling. As bark mulch decomposes, it breaks down quickly into organic matter, enriching your soil with nitrogen and minerals.
- Moisture Retention: Because of its fine texture, it forms a tight “mat” that excels at soil moisture retention, keeping your garden hydrated during dry Connecticut summers.
- Aesthetics: If you want that “manicured” look with rich blacks or deep browns, mulch is the clear winner.
What are Wood Chips? (The Heavy-Duty Choice)
Wood chips are larger, chunkier pieces of the entire tree—including the heartwood and branches. They are a byproduct of tree work and are much more durable than mulch.
- Best For: Walkways, play areas, erosion control on slopes, and naturalized “woodland” areas.
- Key Benefit: Longevity. Wood chips have a high carbon content and break down very slowly. You won’t need to refresh them as often as garden mulch.
- Weed Suppression: Because they are chunky and heavy, wood chips are a superior weed barrier. They block sunlight from reaching the soil surface more effectively in high-traffic areas.
- Soil Temperature Regulation: They provide a thick insulating layer that protects tree roots from the extreme “freeze-thaw” cycles of a New England winter.
Which One Should You Order?
- Choose Mulch if: You are planting a vegetable garden or flower bed and want to improve soil fertility and curb appeal. Check out our Mulch options.
- Choose Wood Chips if: You are building a garden path, need a soft surface under a swing set, or want to stabilize a sloped area of your property.
Pro Tip: For the healthiest plants, never pile either material against the trunk of a tree (the “mulch volcano”). Leave a few inches of space to prevent rot and allow the bark to breathe.