River rocks are an easy, low-maintenance way to landscape your yard. The rocks are environmentally friendly, promote water conservation and add beauty to the landscaping.

A Guide to Mulching Your Plants with River Rocks

Rocks are an affordable and environmentally friendly way to add color and visual interest to your Las Vegas landscaping. When used as an alternative to mulch, rocks offer convenience as well as functionality to the space. These tips will help you successfully mulch your plants with river rocks.

Preparing the Area

Before spreading the rocks around your shrubs, flowers and other plants, you’ll need to prepare the area. To do this, cut landscape fabric to fit around the area where you’ll be mulching. Cut a slit or an “X” into the fabric to accommodate any shrubs or other plants so that you can center the fabric around the shrub. Install an edging around the perimeter of the landscape fabric. Choose from plastic, vinyl or rubber edging. You could also use larger landscape rocks as the edging. The edging will be used to contain the rocks. Pour a two to three inch layer of the rocks. Keep a one-foot perimeter free of rocks around the trunk or base of any shrubs or trees.

Choosing the Rocks

Consider what type of look you’re going for in your landscape. Polished rocks reflect the desert sunlight while natural rocks do not. You can choose from white or light colored rocks, brightly colored reddish or golden rocks, or darker colored brown and black rocks to coordinate with the architecture and color of your home and other elements on your Las Vegas property.

Benefits of Using River Rocks for Mulch

Unlike wood chips, rocks don’t decompose or lose their beauty after a few months. River rocks are an ideal form of mulch for large plantings such as cacti or trees. The rocks stay where you put them even in windy weather. The rocks will blend into your desert landscape and look perfect in a xeriscaped front or back yard. You can connect the mulched plants with a path designed by pavers in Las Vegas.