Let me say up front, I've spent most of my life behind a computer growing only tomato plants on my balcony in Denver. Last summer I bought a house in Cincinnati, Ohio. The house was nice, but the yard and landscaped flower/shrub beds were beautiful. Imagine my surprise when the snows lifted to find last year's thick layer of black hardwood mulch had nearly completely composted into the soil. Because the landscaped area covers 2200 square feet of my 1/3 acre lot, I've been pricing mulch and mulch alternatives. Is there anything I can put in this year that will last at least a few years? And, be good for the plants. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Or what about these groundcover plants I see on this forum? Thanks, Johnny