Five Good Reasons to Use Bark in Your Garden

Bark chips can help transform your garden, whether by improving the quality of the soil which will help your plants to thrive, or by providing a distinctive, eye-catching feature in their own right.

Madingley Mulch supplies bark for gardens to customers in Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Essex and Bedfordshire. Here are our top five reasons why you should consider using bark in your garden.

Improving the Soil

Bark, when it is broken up into chips, can act as a mulch or layer added on top of soil. The bark chips will eventually decompose, releasing nutrients into the ground, improving its fertility. All bark-based mulch will eventually need replacing, although bigger chips take longer to break down.

Bark chippings will help your soil retain moisture, which is particularly useful during long, hot summers, and also in East Anglia’s largely dry climate. Bark-based mulch can also protect the earth from too much water; erosion following a period of heavy rain is less likely to happen if you have that extra layer over your soil.  In addition, mulches like bark will attract earthworms, which are known as the gardener’s friend because they benefit the soil structure.

We supply medium bark for gardens, which is ideal for soil protection, while our mini bark chips are perfect for smaller areas and make for a faster mulching process.

Protecting Your Plants

Putting down a layer of bark acts as a barrier against the extremes of the British climate. So as well as protecting your plants in a heatwave, it can also help avoid frost damage, as any plant roots are well insulated. You can also use bark chips in combination with other materials; for example, they can cover up any gaps left in sheet mulches laid down in new flower beds.

Deterring Pests and Weeds

Bark chippings limit the amount of sunlight that weeds are exposed to, reducing their chances of survival. In addition, some types of bark contain natural oils which deter certain types of insect. You will need to take care over choosing barks for this purpose, as some bark-based mulches may attract certain pests. 

We at Madingley Mulch will be happy to offer advice if you’re not sure what type of mulch is most suitable for your garden, or for the particular project you have in mind.

Looking Good

Bark pieces can give your garden a distinctive look, and not just as a covering for flower beds. Bark is a simple, convenient way to fill in any area of your garden, but particularly any patches where you have trouble growing plants, such as shaded areas. Laying down bark is also far less time-consuming than creating a permanent feature such as a pathway.

We supply landscape bark, which is suitable for large areas of your garden, or pine bark chippings, which look particularly eye-catching.

Keeping Children Safe

Are you thinking of creating a play area in your garden, but feeling concerned about the risk of injury if your child falls off their climbing frame or swing? There is no need to worry, since putting down a layer of bark chips can offer protection against grazed knees, because they have rounder, softer edges than other forms of bark or other alternatives.

We sell special play area bark which is so versatile it can also be used as decorative bark or mulch in other parts of the garden.

Madingley Mulch can supply a wide variety of bags of bark for gardens in Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Essex and Bedfordshire, as well as Cambridgeshire. We offer a free delivery service if you are within 15 miles of our Cambridge base, and a standard £20 charge applies to all destinations within 24.5 miles. We provide regular deliveries to a number of nearby towns and villages, including St Ives, St Neots and Huntingdon. Click here to find out more about the range of bark products we supply.

---

Back to blog