Thirty-five bags of mulch later, it looks like a different house. The rich brown color I choseis a real contrast with the years of living in an almost topsoil-free region-- it looks from a slight distance like rich loam.

What we did was use the Rubweberific thickly up against the house, and a thinner layer coming forward. Ditto at the base of the large tree, which we surrounded with an irregular oval of white rocks. (The trunk and spread of the low sub-trunks branching off are ovoid.)

For this ring we followed the line where exposed roots met grassless ground-- about 4-5 feet from the trunk all the way around. Huge. I can tuck a bit of moss and rock-garden plants into these rocks, and memory stones freely available in PA of which I already have a bunch collected.

We used similarly-textured/colored pine bark towards the front edges of the beds and behind the tree's ring of white rocks (re-used). And raked it back to blend with the Rubberific. More coverage-- bags twice as full/heavy of the cheap stuff to add depth. Bag cost is 2/1 but coverage cost is more like 4/1 pine vs. Rubberific.

At the base of the tree where the dirt had eroded away as the trunk rose, where thin grass had just made a dustbowl, we tucked more mulch and smoothed it between the massive roots so that now you see the roots rising up as if from rich soil.

The front beds had been 4' deep front to back and are now 7' deep. This makes the existing holly bushes a backdrop of the right height with plenty of room for colorful lower plantings in front of them. We added a few red metal garden ornaments waving on stakes. One bed also began its curve around the corner of the house toward what will be axside bed later-- probably lilacs and hollyhocks against the house and a small freestanding arbor with benches.

I'm just in love with that under-the-tree backdrop we made. I can watch for light colored smallish pots/unusual containers and yard art. On spring and summer visits I can just plunk waterable seasonal annuals.

Next purchase is low plant-hangers to set between the hollies and a bit forward of them. Hanging baskets for color. Maybe a fern or spider plants.

~S~