Landscape Wood Chips: The Versatile Option

Wood chips have a lot of potential when it comes to landscaping. They can be used as mulch around your plants or across your lawn, as a surface for paths or play areas, as a decorative material, and much more. If you want to add wood chips to your landscape, read on for more information on this wondrous material.

Different types of wood chips

Wood chips are a varied landscaping material. The chips come in different colors, shapes and sizes, and from different sources. When used as mulch or composting material, larger wood chips will take longer to decompose, making them longer-lasting, while smaller particles will compact easier.

Wood chips from a variety of trees and bark can be used in landscaping. Cypress, cedar, and pine are all popular sources for landscape wood. These will bring slightly different qualities and appearances to your landscaping. You can also purchase dyed wood chips to add some color to your mulch and landscaping materials.

What are the benefits of using landscape wood chips?

We’ve mentioned a few uses for wood chips in your landscape, but how do they actually benefit your yard?

Protect your plants

Like any good mulching material, wood chips help to protect your plants and the soil around them. A layer of wood chips over your soil will prevent it from freezing over winter and will raise the soil temperature around the plants. They also absorb water, providing a steady source of water for your plants and preventing the soil from becoming waterlogged. A layer of wood chips can also suppress the growth of weeds and prevent soil erosion.

Nourish your plants

As an organic material, wood chips will add nutrients to the soil, which your plants can absorb. This will help them to grow faster and stronger. This is a benefit over inorganic mulch like gravel, which will protect your plants without feeding them. Wood chips can also be added to your compost to break down and produce a nutrient-rich material for your garden.

Provide a soft surface

Wood chips provide a great surface for walking and playing on. They are not slippery and are soft underfoot, which also means a relatively soft surface to land on in case of falls. This makes it a perfect material for around children’s play equipment, if you have a swing set in your backyard, for example. They are also a good alternative to natural stone when creating pathways.

Add visual appeal

Landscaping is just as much about appearance as function, and wood chips can add a great visual appeal to your landscape. They can be placed around water features, statues, and other focal points in your garden to help boost the appearance of your landscape.

Stratford Landscape Supply can help with all your landscape needs, from supplying landscape materials to helping you design or maintain your landscape. Get in touch for more information.