Newspaper option would be OK. A small bottle of RoundUp would be even easier and more likely to work.

The bed sounds like a great idea. I'm not sure about the stones. As long as they aren't large and half-buried, they'd probably be OK though.

Man it would tick me off to have a HOA-hired crew that messed up my stuff. I'd be pitching a fit! You are being required to pay for someone to destroy your things. There are some good things about HOAs, this is one example of where they'd really stink.

I have pitched a fit more than once to no avail. I am sure round up would be fine. I just get worried about my trees

as to destroying the grass.. and adding mulch .. great idea ... just leave one inch bare around the trunk ... that bark needs to remain dry ... not damp under mulch ...

what you do out at the edge.. is only limited by your imagination or tastes ...

i would NOT dig-in landscape brick or retaining wall that close to it.. if you actually could .... but anything that lays on top would be fine.. such as rocks ... i used to call mine.. my rock collection ... and over the years.. its how we remembered various day trips and vacations ...

ken

I thought about hosts that would look nice. I don't really plan on digging-in the rocks it would not be very tall maybe 3-4 inches to reflect the front flower beds. The would essentially just set on top of the soil. Thanks for all the help everyone.

Just a little note on the newspaper. That is the best idea to get rid of the grass and the choice I would make. It's free and more effective than roundup. Just make sure you make the coverage at least four pages thick.

Some disadvantages of newspaper would be...
1. Occasionally, an animal will dig into the mulch, and, if the newspapers haven't broken down by then, you get a real mess that's not so easy to fix.
2. Laying down newspaper can be a little bit of a challenge for one person if the wind is blowing.
3. To keep some of the tougher weeds from popping up through the newspaper, you have to put it on pretty thick, and
4. If you do use multiple layers of newspaper, that tends to stop water and oxygen exchange into the soil. A think layer of newspaper can actually lead to an anaerobic condition below the paper.

I can't really think of any disadvantage to the properly-applied RoundUp, except maybe the cost (which would be minimal if you had a use for the rest of the bottle).

RU has to be applied to green tissue to have any effect ...

it will not work on bark ...

and it will not work on a root .. in the ground.. that is NOT scarred ...

it basically become inert upon touching the soil ... so the tree can not suck it up ...

ken

Can you opt out of the lawn service and mow your own lawn? You did say had a small yard.

I tried that Floral. No dice. I thought about just mowing it before they come but then I decided it would probably cause more of a headache than making a small mulch project that I think would look great regardless.