for a layer about 3" thick you will need about 6 yds. Most of your colored mulches are either pine or hardwood. They will both decompose over time wich will add some organic humus to your beds. Cypress is a good mulch too. A lil more expenssive,especially grade A. Grade A is actual bark of the cypress,very thin and hairy-pretty dark golden brown color. Regular cypress is alot cheaper,but made of mostly ground up cypress tree. The softscape mulch holds its color for a good while,and is claimed to be of cypress,and also fire retardant. Ive had 2 of my jobs where the beds have caught fire using this stuff. One of my suppliers buildings almost caught fire also. They pulled it from their shelves,and I dont use it anymore either. When you pull a weed through it the whole layer of mulch wants to come up,or if you use a leaf blower,it will come up too. As far as termites go, Ive seen them in just about every kind of mulch. They kinda like thieves,if they really want you bad enough,they will get you. We make a gravel bed between the house and flower bed on all of our jobs that we do. This keeps your dirt from being up against the house,which your termite guys love,so they can spray their poisons,and also keeps the dirt from covering your weep holes which is where the termites like to come in.
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