Has anybody experience of gardens which have been "barked", i.e. covered
in two inches of bark chips?

In late Spring we put the alpines and heathers in and then had much fun
"barking" around them. (Woof-woof !)

Now, late "Summer", some of the alpines are beginning to spread and I am
wondering whether I should drag back the bark as they do so in order to
encourage their outward growth.

The negative thing about drawing back the bark as the plants spread
outwards is that seeds and grasses will get into the earth under the
plant and take root . . . and the whole point of barking is to reduce
the likelihood of weeds.

But maybe some plants won't spread out if the bark remains tight around
them, as they would if there is no bark beneath them.

I suspect saxifrage may be one of these. I think as it spreads outwards
it roots into the earth directly beneath. So if I want good outward
growth I must draw back the bark?

Pedunculata is one plant which clearly needs the bark to be drawn back -
and once it has spread as far as I want it to hopefully the bark will
stop its relentless spread!

What about the heathers? Do they root from their branches as their
branches spread out and make contact with the ground?

Any ideas?

Much appreciated.

Regards,
Eddy.