Hi, I just bought a new house in Richmond, VA and I was wondering about the utility and availabilty of pine straw in Richmond. I haven't moved into the house yet so I don't have a photo, but I'll describe my situation, and I would love to get any suggestions anyone might have.

The backyard is about a half acre of selectively cleared woods, mostly poplar on a slight slope. The current owners have been keeping the ground clear and consequently there is grass and weeds grown up densely in the woods. I'm hopeful that if I mulched the half acre and stopped mowing and clearing debris, that in a couple years the weeds and grass would go away.

Does anybody think pine straw,pine nuggets, or hardwood would be the way to go? Price? availiblity?