I have been adding some wood chip mulch to my beds courtesy of my town's street dept mulch pile. It's a mixture of chipped trees that were cut this spring and summer from storm damage. My town has a new $35,000 chipper and this Aug a group of AmeriCorps kids chipped about an acre of tree waste into a huge mulch pile.

It's free, but it's not what you would call a homogeneous wood mulch product. I does eventually, turn a nice dark brown after a rain or two.

It may help suppress next years weeds and then again it may be full of weed seeds that will make things worse. (grin) Ya always get what you pay for.

I mulch to protect my perennials from "old man winter" and any weed suppression is a side benefit.

I just trench my beds with a shovel and allow the mulch/dirt to meet the turf grass.

I find it easier to mow with this edge scheme ...it's cheaper ...it does not frost heave...but on the down side you do have to redo it from time to time. But that's half the fun of gardening (playing in the dirt)

I also trench because it seems my planting beds, like the national debt, get larger each year. I'm mowing only 2/3 of the lawn I mowed 5 years ago.