What color mulch best complements white homes? When landscaping your yard, it's essential to choose a mulch color that will complement the color of your home. We did the work to provide you with options and help you make the best choice to improve your home's curb appeal.
White homes allow you to enjoy creativity with your mulch colors. The following four colors are some of the best options:
- Red
- Black
- Dark Brown
- Light Brown
As a neutral color, white plays well with other hues nicely. There are several other characteristics that you should account for when choosing mulch colors, like the colors of your roof, shutters, and doors. Keep reading to learn more about choosing the best mulch color for your home.
Four Colors Of Mulch To Consider For Your White Home
Red
Red mulch will complement a white house nicely. It tends to be a very dramatic choice for landscaping, drawing attention with eye-catching color. If you have red accents on your home red could be the right choice for you. Red shutters, doors, or a red roof will coordinate well with red mulch.
Mighty109 Red Landscaping Mulch
This mulch has a beautiful red tone, and it's received great reviews. Click here to check it out on Amazon.
Black
A black-colored mulch is an excellent choice for a white home, creating a dramatic contrast. Black and white complement each other beautifully, creating a classy look, and they both work well with other colors too. Your home's accent colors and the plants you choose to landscape with will pop against black mulch with a white house.
NuPlay Black Rubber Nugget Mulch
This black mulch is made using recycled rubber, which lasts longer than traditional wood mulch. Click here to see it on Amazon.
Light Brown
Light brown mulch is a more subtle option than red or black. It has a more natural hue that blends nicely with the great outdoors, keeping your colorful plants and your home the main feature of your yard. This is a great option if you don't want an attention-grabbing color that could detract from your garden or home. Light brown mulch looks great in your yard if your home has a brown roof or door.
Four Winds Trading Natural Cedar Shavings
These cedar shavings are a beautiful light brown shade, and cedar is a naturally pest and rot-resistant wood. Click here to see it on Amazon.
Dark Brown
Dark brown mulch carries the same hue as well-watered garden soil, which is perfect if don't want the mulch to be obvious. This is a great choice for landscaping and gardening because it plays down the appearance of mulch, allowing you to choose the focal point of your landscaping.
Rio Hamza Trading Pine Bark Mulch
This natural dark brown mulch would make a wonderful addition to your landscaping. Click here to see it on Amazon.
Different Mulch Types and Colors
There are many types of mulch to choose from like wood, rubber, and straw. The type of mulch you should use will be impacted by how you plan to use it, and what benefits you are hoping for. This video talks about the different types and colors of much and how to use them for maximum benefit. It also provides you with a good visual representation of the different mulch colors and materials.
A Brief Look At Mulch Materials
Mulch can be made from various materials, and some materials work better for certain things than others. Rubber mulch is not a great option for plants, but it adds extra protection around playsets if a child falls. Wood mulch is a great way to top off gardens or container plants while adding nutrients to the plant's soil. Pine straw mulch can help prevent soil from becoming compacted, which is great for vegetable gardens.
USA Pinestraw Long Needle Mulch
This pine straw mulch has excellent reviews and a nice reddish-brown color. Click here to see it on Amazon.
What Color Mulch Looks Best With a White House?
This ultimately depends on the accent colors of your home. The door, roof, shutters, and trim colors will all help you determine an appropriate mulch color. Try to coordinate somewhat with the existing color scheme of the home and landscaping. A white house with a black roof would look great with black mulch, if you have a red roof then red mulch might be a better option.
Why Use Mulch?
Mulch adds to your home's curb appeal by creating a finished landscaping look, but it also has other benefits. Using mulch in your garden will help with moisture retention, prevent weeds from growing, reduce soil compaction and erosion, insulate root systems, and more. It is a great benefit to your garden and can reduce the time spent keeping up your landscaping.
Is Mulch Safe?
Natural wood mulch without dyes is the safest bet if you spend a lot of time in the garden or have pets that may get into it. Most mulch is dyed with safe, non-toxic chemicals, but some cheaper options may contain dangerous chemicals to pets, children, and wildlife. Be sure to look into any dyes that may have been used before you make a purchase.
Can Old Mulch Be Dyed?
If you already have mulch, but it is weather-worn and faded, you may be able to dye it. As long as the existing mulch is still somewhat solid, you can purchase dye that will cost a fraction of what new mulch would run. The dye is mixed with water and placed in a garden sprayer. You then spray the surface of the mulch with the dye mix until it is thoroughly colored and let it dry.
MulchWorx Black Mulch Color
This mulch dye covers over 2,000 square feet and is available in multiple colors. Click here to see it on Amazon.
Which Color Mulch Lasts Longest?
Red mulch is usually made from recycled materials, so it does tend to decompose faster than other colors. Rubber mulch is very long-lasting, but not great for plants. When choosing a natural wood mulch the wood species is the key to a long life. Also, pay attention to the size of the mulch, fine mulch deteriorates quickly, but thicker mulch nuggets can last years.
Wood Species
The two most common types of wood mulch are pine and cedar. Cedar lasts longer than pine and has a light brownish-red color. Cedar can also help repel insects from your garden, relieving pest issues. Pine is typically a dark brown and does not last as long as cedar, but it works wonders for top-dressing your soil to improve plant health.
Does it Matter What Color Mulch You Use?
The different colors of mulch are mostly aesthetic, save for red mulch's recycled properties mentioned previously. Different colored mulches do not serve different purposes, they all work the same way. The mulch color you choose should take house, landscaping, and flower color into consideration above all.
How Do I Match Mulch to My House?
Mulch color should be determined by considering the color of your home, its accents, and your landscaping. To help you choose a mulch color, try asking for a sample from your landscaping supply store and hold the samples up to your home and plants to see how the colors look together. Dark brown mulch is almost always a safe choice since it is the same color as fertile soil.
Mulch Madness
Now that you know how to choose the best mulch color for your home, you're ready to start sampling colors. Don't forget to consider mulch material and wood species while you make your decision. Enjoy your home's new facelift and have fun planning.
If you are trying to coordinate mulch color for a brick home, check out our article "What Color Mulch For A Red Brick House?"
While you are updating the exterior of your home, consider adding some pavers. Take a look at our article "What Color Pavers Go With A Brown House?" for inspiration.