Spreading garden bark around your beds, borders and pathways has a number of useful benefits, especially for the gardener who’s looking to spend a lot less time weeding while also adding an attractive finish to their beds.

When you spread the bark chippings in your flower beds or raised beds, it stops the light getting through to the soil beneath, which in turn stops the weeds from growing – and as it looks highly decorative while doing it, that means it’s a win all round. Alternatively, why not create a garden path with attractive paving slabs and then use the decorative bark to fill the gaps in between?