Mulch Refresh in Vinton, VA
Beds that had gone a season too long, shrubs with no shape left to them, and a pair of crepe myrtles reaching so far over the driveway you had to duck getting out of the car.
What we walked into
A front bed running on last year
- Mulch broken down to bare dirt in patches
- Shrubs grown shapeless and full of dead growth
- Crepe myrtles overhanging the driveway, crowding the cars
- Bed edges lost, so the line between bed and lawn had gone soft
- Weeds already coming through ahead of spring
What we did
Trim, edge, then mulch
- Crepe myrtles cut back clear of the driveway
- Every shrub shaped and dead wood taken out
- Beds cleared and the edge re-cut to a clean line
- Three yards of black mulch, front beds and driveway run
- Every clipping and bag of debris off site the same day
Start to finish
Five photos, start to finish.
Trimming came first so the clippings landed on the old bed rather than on fresh mulch. Then the beds were cleared, the edge re-cut, and three yards went down.
1 · Before
2 · On site
3 · Driveway run
4 · Along the walk
5 · Finished
The process
How this one went.
Trim first, mulch second
Crepe myrtles cut back off the driveway and the shrubs shaped. Doing it in this order means the clippings fall on the old bed, not on fresh mulch.
Clear the beds
Last year's growth, weeds and debris out, so the new layer sits on clean ground rather than on top of the problem.
Cut the edge
A clean line cut along the walk and around the driveway run, which is what makes a mulched bed look finished rather than dumped.
Three yards of black mulch
Spread front to back at an even depth, worked in around every shrub and pulled back off the trunks.
Before you call
Questions we get a lot.
When should crepe myrtles be trimmed?
Late winter or early spring, before they leaf out. They are one of the last things to wake up around here, so you get a clear look at the branch structure while everything else is still bare. That is when these were done.
How much mulch does a bed actually need?
This job took three yards across the front beds and the driveway run. It depends on square footage and how much is left from last year — we measure it off the address before quoting rather than guessing on the day.
Why black mulch instead of natural?
Preference, mostly. Black holds a deeper color against brick and it makes green shrubs read sharper. Natural and brown are both fine choices; it is worth deciding before we order rather than after it is down.
More like this
Free estimate
Tell us where, and we'll take it from there.
- Most quotes come back the same day
- No pressure, no door-knocking follow-ups
- We price from your address, so you don't have to be home
Prefer to talk? (540) 815-9402
Request your free quote
Two minutes, and you don't need to be home for us to price it.