Question
I have two flower beds that are in high drainage areas with run-off from the roof.  My husband does not want to install gutters.  I have used lava rock in the past, but would love to try something different.  Do you have any ideas?  I live in Oklahoma so any kind of wood mulch just washes away in the heavy spring storms.  Thank you for any help you can offer.

Answer
"Permatill" will work well. It as a small expanded shale rock that works well with plants as a mulch. But its expensive if you are covering more than a small area.  Any small gravel works well as a mulch. Pea gravel is good but hard to walk on. Mini slate chips, dime sized, are excellent and look great (dark gray in color). River rocks of egg size or smaller are good also. Some people like marble chips but this is a bit harsh if you ask me my professional opinion.

Thats about it for effective mulch that can take the rain, unless you are considering recycled rubber tire mulch or plastic pinestraw but I am against putting those products in the landscape. They will and do eventually end up in our streams and lakes and oceans...very bad product.

Sean J Murphy

Sean J Murphy, LA,ISA, LEED AP
Please check out my blogs and articles on landscape topics like this on my websites.
http://www.seanjmurphy.com
http://amenityarchitects.com