What is the world is "beauty bark"???
I think a mulch fo some sort is pretty much a necessity, sepecially for new gardens. I love small pune bark chips....detest any of that dyed stuff...and that recycled rubber stuff is even worse.
If your mulch is choking your plants you didn't get the fact that it's supposed to be layed around the plants, nut over them nor against the stems.
Fades? What are you buying? And wear leather gloves when you are gardening...save your hands.
Do you have some shade for the hosta?
Linda C

I did a search on 'beauty bark'....as I have NEVER heard of that term!! lol I think that it's just wood chips, of any kind.

Anyway, I think if you do some reading in the forums (Try the Soils and Mulch forum), you'll appreciate how important 'beauty mulch' is.

"Beauty bark" is a regional term for finely shredded bark mulch. Typically it is a by-product of the timber industry and here tends to be mostly western red cedar, sometimes Douglas fir. So yes, it does fade in color in the sun.

My preference for mulch - and I am a very firm believer that mulching is an absolute necessity - is some type of compost product. The texture is better, the color deeper/richer and it is more appropriate with mixed plantings that include perennials or annuals than bark products. And as it breaks down, it returns a higher concentration of nutrients to the soil than does bark and without the possibility of nitrogen deficiencies should it get mixed into the soil during planting or cultivating. And it reduces the need to ever add chemical fertilizers.

There are all sorts of commercially prepared compost products available in the PNW, both bagged and in bulk. A few nurseries and all landscape supply outlets will offer bulk compost-based mulches and you can buy bagged product everywhere but it is expensive if you need any sort of quantity. I'd contact Cedar Grove, which is the local yard waste recycling plant located in Maple Valley. They offer an excellent product and are located close to you. A good number of local nurseries carry or broker their compost as well.

And regardless of what type of mulch product you use, weraing gloves to garden is an excellent suggestion. There are all sorts of health hazards associated with working the soil - bacterium, fungus and molds, plant extrudates, etc. - that can be easily spread and introduced into the body. That's one of the reasons landscapers are always on top of their tetanus vaccines!

Here is a link that might be useful: Cedar Grove Composting

Bark chips will turn into compost in short order if they are fine enough. I used my own compost for years and years until I could no longer haul it up the hill from the compost pile....and I had to do it twice a year as it broke down so fast. So, now I use bagged wood chips.
Initially they do tie up some nitrogen because the organisms needed to break it down need nitrogen to grow, but when they die, they release that nitrogen back into the soil to be used by the next generation of microbes. If you add a small amount of nitrogen rich fertilizer when you first add wood chips, you will soon reach an equilibrium.
The pine park mulch I like to buy is a little lighter in color than our Iowa top soil and doesn't fade at all, it only gets darker.
Linda C

I appreciate all of the answers. I soon realized that the term "beauty bark" must be a regional term. Sorry for the confusion.

I think I am going to lean towards the compost - will check out cedar grove - bark in general, whether finely shredded or larger seems to not be a good way to go for us.
Being in a brand new subdivision, our soil is not that great to begin with - it will take me a few years to amend it to a nutrient rich soil so I think anything that takes longer or pulls nutrients will just not work for us at this point.

Oh, I'm sorry - I guess it did seem like I was working without gloves - always do but the shredded bark has a way of working its way in unless I have heavy duty gloves and those aren't always practical because of dexterity and sensation needed for smaller projects.

Thank you all for your suggestions!

The fastest way to get your garden soil in good condition to plant is to work in compost and fine bark chips...also called "pine fines".
Pile on as much compost as you can afford...3 inches would be good. Top with pine fines and turn the soil between the plants.
What, pray tell would you use to amend the soil if not those things?
As for working with the stuff....try the gloves pictured below.
Linda C