Fellow Rocky Mountain Mustachians, I need help. I'm trying to make my yard more sustainable, and hopefully minimize the long-term (20 year) costs while keeping it nice and useful. Currently there is a 10' wide strip all around the house that is "rocked" (1-2" river rock). I pulled most of the rock up to fix the drainage around the house. I dislike rocks and don't want to put them back down. But getting rid of all the rocks would cost me about $500-1000. I sure as hell don't want more grass, needs too much water in an arid environment like Denver. The rocks are maintenance free for about 3-5 years, then weeds start growing in them and it drives me and my wife nuts. Plus rocks are annoying to walk on, cause me to twist my ankle about once a year. I looked into ground covers that can handle regular foot traffic, but haven't found any for my situation (no irrigation next to house, mostly sunny). I toyed with the idea of installing flagstone, scared of high up-front cost. I like mulch and wood chips, when they decompose and weeds grow in it (~5 years) I could remove and replace easily; wood chips are free from arborists. What to do?
ps - I love to garden, have replaced about 100 sq ft of rock with raised garden beds (plus drip irrigation), my wife won't allow any more