"Ali" wrote in
:

Oh, aditionally, I *have* encountered gravel and I find any form quite
annoying, though it'd probably be less annoying around something like
a tree. It's just a nusance though if you want to get in to amend the
soil or whatever, because you have to scrape the stuff back, etc. With
mulch, no harm if some of it gets mixed in with the soil, as it breaks
down anyway.

Ali

if you are going to use gravel or any kind of mulch (stone or otherwise),
put down a layer of landscape fabric (or "geotextile") first. It won't
keep all the weeds/grass from coming through, but with the gravel on top,
it should be easy to pick off any that are intent on busting out. with
the fabric in place, it should be easier to remove the gravel in case you
want to amend the soil underneath at a later date. To keep the gravel
from rolling away, make a mini retaining wall or use edging. all this
will probably cost $$$$$.

-- Salty