Landscaping With Black Mulch

While I have used black decorative bark mulch in a few flower beds and borders, it's not a top choice of ground covers that I will use. It does have some cool applications where it helps define bed areas and add atmosphere to some themes such as Mediterranean yards. However, black bark mulch does carry a few problems with using it.

Black generates heat and in the case of a black ground cover, transfers the heat to the root zone of plants. In nature, most plants prefer a natural and cooler soil temperature. Depending on your area, black ground cover can generate and transfer enough heat to to the soil to kill plants and at least cuase poor growth and plant health.