The lake is the point of the town, and it is also the drainage problem. Shoreline lots shed water toward the water, banks erode where wakes and winter rain meet a soft edge, and inland yards stay damp because the water table and the clay do not let a storm leave quickly. Bark on a slope toward the lake is bark in the lake. We mulch the upper beds and we plant the shore.
Snohomish County · ZIP 98258 · 2020 population 34,385
Do not mulch the bank into the water
Around the house and along a flat path, bark is appropriate and we keep it edged. The shoreline planting stays bare of loose mulch, or it gets a heavier, tucked-in cover that will not float. We do not blow the leftover into the slope.
Beds that shed toward a drain get a thickness that stays put when someone waters, so we are not feeding the drain a winter of fines.
The ground in Lake Stevens
On the water, the work is the bank and the view. A retaining edge, native shoreline plants such as red osier dogwood, and a rain garden or a drain that slows runoff before it hits the lake do more for the property than a strip of sod at the top of an eroding slope. Fertilizer and bare soil washing into the lake are how a nice lawn becomes a neighbor problem.
Off the water, in the newer neighborhoods, the soils were compacted during construction and the lawns were rolled out on top. They look fine in July and sour in February. Aeration, a real topdressing, and getting the downspouts away from the foundation are the unglamorous jobs that keep those yards from turning to moss. Patios here are for the view. We build the base as if it will be wet half the year, because it will.
How we do the work
Bark is a blanket, not a cleanup. We pull the weeds and the old matted layer that has turned into soil, edge the bed so the bark has a place to stop, and put down enough depth to block light. A sprinkle that still shows dirt is not a bark job. It is a way to pay for the same weeds in June.
We keep bark off the crowns of shrubs and off the trunks of trees. A volcano of mulch against the bark of a tree is how the trunk rots. Two to three inches across the soil, pulled back at the stems.
What we look at first
- Whether the old bark has composted into a weed bed
- The edge against the lawn
- Plants that are buried already
- How far the truck can get the load
Depth
About three inches after it settles, less against the stems, none against the trunk. One inch looks like a lot in the wheelbarrow and does nothing by July. We would rather do a smaller bed correctly.
Color
Natural bark fades to gray. That is normal. Dyed product holds a color and also stains concrete when it is fresh. We tell you which load you are getting. We do not promise the color in the photo will survive a winter.
Old fabric
Landscape fabric under bark is where weeds root in the dust on top, and where water sheets off. When we find it, we take it out if the bed is weedy. We do not sell a new layer of it.
More from this crew
- Beauty bark across Snohomish County
- Lawn weed control in Lake Stevens
- Yard cleanup in Lake Stevens
- Landscape design in Lake Stevens
- Tree and shrub pruning in Lake Stevens
- Beauty bark in Everett
- Beauty bark in Marysville
- Beauty bark in Snohomish
Sources for the climate and the water
- USDA plant hardiness map for choosing plants that can take a Snohomish County winter.
- EPA WaterSense on watering less once a lawn or a new planting is established.
- EPA Soak Up the Rain on keeping roof and yard water from becoming someone else’s problem.
