Our rose garden had small pieces of bark mulch spread across the floor,
including right up against the base or each rose bush. The roses were
doing very well with this mulch.

Enter a new gardener, and he is claiming that you don't want moist mulch
touching the base of the roses. He proposes to put a small circle of rocks
near the base, and to keep the bark mulch outside this ring.

I am not clear here about what kind of mulch design is best for a roses.
Maybe someone can clarify.

--
W