I've heard mention of the shells also and wondered about that!

Do have lots of weeds without mulch ? Some people top dress with compost . Or pine straw? I like that look but it's so windy here I don't want to risk a mess . Personally I use black mulch but next year I'm switching to pine nuggets so they'll last longer .

I mulch everything with compost. It offers a very nice rich, dark coloring and it will continue to improve soil conditions over time as it breaks down and adds to soil quality. It has a plus in that it also supplies some basic nutrients and encourages beneficial (and necessary) soil organisms.

You can often purchase quality bagged compost at independent garden centers (way better quality than the box stores offer) or you can purchase in bulk from most soil providers/landscape supply yards. If you have a lot of ground to cover, bulk will always be significantly less expensive than a bagged product.

ETA: I have used hazelnut shells before but in a shrub-only bed. They are expensive as mulches go, offer very little in the way of improving soil quality and will bring in every squirrel within miles!! And I am not kidding!!

We've used 3 cu ft bales of "soil conditioner" which spread thinly over ground looks great. Gardner & Bloome brand.

That is very encouraging about the wood chips. Perhaps I'll lay them in the fall and keep adding compost for now. Thank you!

Wood mulch has greatly improved the texture of my soil over a couple years. I had very sandy soil, where I laid inches of mulch it is now much more loamy, rich & darker. I have also read that it can help with heavy clay soil as well. Good luck!

1/4-10 gravel is great for loosening up northwest clay, but I realize not all clay is created equal. The biggest thing I've learned in dealing with new construction excavation clay is not creating pockets. Having miniature horses, we have a veritable compost factory. We bed their run-in with pine pellets, which when broken down combine with the manure to create a light, friable compost. I've found that irises love manure direct from the horse, and roses are fine with less than fully composted, but I do keep it away from feeder roots. I also prefer that it not look too much like the original product, lol.

I also mulch with compost. I like it because it looks dark and rich, and also because if I need to plant in a bed that's already been mulched, I just dig the hole and mix the compost in. Then I'm not having to move aside mulch, then dig and plant, then put the mulch back.

I would love to mulch with well rotted manure like bluesanne has...but I need to find a good local source. Roses apparently thrive on a manure compost regime...well, that's what the English gardening books say! :)

Aside from using huge quantities of good quality composted manure, I like the product, NuLife Organic Planting Compost (wapacanorthwoods.com). It's only available in Idaho, Washington, and a couple of other states, unfortunately. I buy the compost and manure at my local farm and ranch store. I also like Soil Pep, composted bark products, for topping off areas not well covered in plants. Closely planted perennials and annuals and other plants also work as a kind of mulch in my garden. Diane

nanadoll: how often do you apply the composted manure to your beds? Do you have a "schedule"? You have some of the most beautiful roses I've seen and I would love to know what you do.

Rosylady, not sure where in the PNW you are located, but if anywhere close to Snohomish, I'd suggest you investigate Bailey Farms. Their composted cow manure is an excellent product and virtually weed-free. I have used it myself when I lived closer to their location and can personally attest to its quality - your roses will love it :-)

I am close to Snohomish! I will definitely check them out. :)

I have been thinking of maybe putting oyster shells as a sort of covering over my mulches..the people who lived here before us had piles of them lol. The chickens also uncovered huge old fishing nets (among all kinds of other random things) that were buried- like from a boat, so I dont know if they were dredged up or if they really liked to eat oysters and bought them..anyhow they might be kinda pretty in flowerbeds.