How to Landscape With Dark Mulch

Draw an approximate diagram of your yard on graph paper. Use colored pencils to represent the general colors of flower beds, trees, and features like a pond or patio. Use a dark brown pencil to mark where you intend to lay dark mulch, including near the house, shrubs, deck or patio, and low-lying areas. To add contrast, use light mulch around trees and plants located farther from the house.

Turn over the soil in your chosen areas with a garden shovel. If the soil feels sandy or heavy with clay, add a 2-inch layer of compost or native topsoil to the dirt, and mix it in to add oxygen and healthy bacteria.

Use buckets or a wheelbarrow to bring dark mulch to your chosen areas. Scoop the mulch with gloved hands or a garden shovel, and spread 2 to 3 inches of mulch over the area and around plants.

Dig up grass under decks and along the sides of a patio or walkway. Dig up about 6 inches of dirt to remove the grass root systems. Lay down weed barrier to prevent weed growth, then fill the space with dark mulch.

Dig a trench 6 inches wide and 6 inches deep along the length of a walkway or driveway. Fill the trench with dark mulch until the mulch is about 2 inches above ground level to improve drainage.

Add dark mulch over one layer of a terraced plant bed, and use light mulch on the other layer to add visual depth.

Draw attention to a center garden or landscape feature like a fountain by spreading dark cocoa shell mulch around the outside, and light mulch around the inside.