[Baz]

Also - without seeing a photo showing the entire front it's harder to provide best options on the design.

The goal of a good designer is that everything on a property ties together and is cohesive and that includes plant and mulch choices.

I have used washed shell as a substitute for mulch and rock and it's much nicer than rock and sometimes more practical than mulch. Not sure if you have washed shell there or not.