Below are 2 photos of the strawbs in their raised bed. I planted them last Spring. What I'm considering is lay down some sort of bark/ground cover between the plants to help retain water and to protect the ground from the scorching Summer sun here in southern Oregon. I have bark that is fairly fine that I put around the roses, and other bark that is "medium", more like wood chips the size of a ~nickel. Is this a good idea? My neighbor thought I might be encouraging root rot, and bugs, but I thought I would ask here first before doing anything. Thanks.
