Mulch is great for your plants. It adds nutrients to the soil, helps it retain moisture (so you don't have to water as often), prevents soil compaction, insulates the soil from hot or cold conditions and suppresses weed growth. It even looks good!
But getting mulch, compost and dirt to your yard can be a pain! The standard mulches at the store are bulky (1.5 or 2 cubic feet), heavy, dirty, and -- despite their plastic wrap -- always leak all over your car. Our partner, the awesome (and local) Mulch Center (which supplies most of the premier landscape businesses in the area), can deliver truckloads of over 20 different varieties of mulch, compost and topsoil to your home. One of their products below is likely to be perfect for the yard project you have in mind. Plus you don't have to go to the store, break social containment, or get your car dirty!
For small projects, buying a couple bags of dirt or mulch at the big box store (about $4/bag -- 13.5 bags to the cubic yard) works. But, if your project is more significant, the number of bags you need adds up fast and you can only fit so much in your car per trip. You can save up to 40% (and a ton of time) versus buying bags.
Let us help you get the mulch you need without that hassle. (Tour this website)
Our negotiated Club discount mulch prices start at $22 per cubic yard, depending on variety. Delivery for up to 20 cubic yards (unless conditions are super wet) is:
Delivery to... | Costs |
Deerfield | $60 |
Buffalo Grove, Lincolnshire, Long Grove & Wheeling | $80 |
Bannockburn, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Highwood, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Libertyville & Vernon Hills | $83 |
Barrington, Evanston, Kenilworth, Northfield, Skokie, Wilmette, Winnetka | $90 |
Oak Brook | $145 |
Bolingbrook, Naperville | $170 |
You can even get two products in the same truckload -- for instance, mulch and topsoil -- for an additional $35 split delivery fee. *
By the way, the photos below show what 5 yards (left) and 1 yard (right, each) of mulch look like!
How much do you need? Use the Mulch Center's Cubic Yardage Calculator.
We've helped Plant Club members get thousands of cubic yards of mulch. Because of our special relationship with the Mulch Center, we can pretty much schedule your mulch delivery any time you want it, with a few days notice, and make the process easy!
Email us at mulch@northshoreplantclub.com, and we'll help you get set up. Let us know:
And we will get right to work setting up your order with our dedicated teammate at the Mulch Center. In order to receive Plant Club preferred pricing, the order needs to be placed by us.
Premium Mulch/Triple Ground Rich brown color. Protects plants and retains moisture. Great looking product, a best seller. $29.15 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
Classic Mulch/Double Ground Lighter brown, breaks down slowly. The most economical mulch product. $25.02 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
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Shredded Aged Mulch Lightly shredded, dark rich brown color. Reduces weed growth and increases soil aeration. $27.00 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
Fine Grind Mulch A finely ground mixture of locally sourced organics. Ground four times! Just the right size with a dark rich color that spreads evenly. You – and your garden – will appreciate the aesthetics as well functionality of this dark colored product; and because it is ground so many times, it will begin to nourish your plants immediately. $29.00 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
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Color Enhanced Mulch - Bright Red Retains its color. Long lasting. Looks natural. Environmentally Safe. $36.75 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
Color Enhanced Mulch - Chocolate Brown Retains its color. Long lasting. Looks natural. Environmentally safe. $36.75 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
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Color Enhanced Mulch - Deep Black Retains its color. Long lasting. Looks natural. Environmentally safe. $36.75 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
Southern Hardwood Bark Mulch Resists fading. Long lasting. Great product to highlight new plantings. Has a beautiful scent. Rich chestnut color. Made from bark, so it’s a little “strippy.” Shipped in from Mississippi, so the Mulch Center nevers discounts this variety (you can’t buy direct and use a coupon). But our price to Club members is pretty great. $75.00 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
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Cedar Grind Light golden blonde color. Shredded texture. Acts as a natural insect repellant. $50.00 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
Leaf Mulch Great for your perennials. Improves soil structure. Stimulates beneficial soil fungi. $36.00 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
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Planting Bed Mix A balanced mixture of topsoil, screened compost, sand, mushroom compost and leaf mulch, used to heighten and enrich new and established plantings. $46.40 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
Screened Compost Adds nutrients to the soil. Improves pH. Loosens clay soils. Perfect for vegetable gardens, flower beds, trees and shrubs. $35.00 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
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Enhanced Mushroom Compost Nature's helper & conditioner. Ideal for new plantings. Builds mycorrhizal activity. $30.50 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
Winter Blend Winter blend of highly enriched organics. Nourishes and protects plant roots. Best time to apply is October-December. $31.00 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
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Top Dressing Mix A beneficial organic blend of topsoil and humus that will improve your lawn's health. Great for seeding, leveling and helps thatch control $44.00 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
Pine Fines A finely ground pine bark product. Provides a balanced pH and an excellent soil conditioner to help introduce nutrients. $96.00 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
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Screened Topsoil Just plain, good black dirt! (by the way, 1 cubic yard of topsoil = 1.5 tons) $40.00 per Ton + Delivery |
Wood Chips Fresh materials. Various particle sizes. An economical product for construction sites and unmanicured areas. Not recommended for flower beds or gardens. $11.80 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
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Safe T Mat ASTM-Certified Playground Mulch Made of wood fiber, this mulch is soft and safe. It can be used in many situations, including playgrounds, dog runs and walkways. It’s ASTM Certified Playground surfacing. Product color and particle size may vary from the photos. $29.40 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
River Rock 1 1/2" Can be used for drainage, along driveway sides or as a decorative stone. Helps with soil erosion on sloped areas by keeping soil packed in. $48.00 per Ton + Delivery |
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Pea Gravel A smooth washed gravel. Good for decorative uses, drainage and walkways. Can also be used in dog runs. $33.00 per Ton + Delivery |
Mason Sand Smooth, fine washed sand (Light tan color) mason sand is often used in masonry work or as a base for leveling bricks and pavers. Is also great for sandboxes, volleyball courts, beaches or beneath above ground swimming pools. $39.00 per Ton + Delivery |
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River Rock 3/4" - Grade 6 CA11 Gravel Good for drainage projects, driveways or as a decorative stone. Can also be used for pathways or dog runs. $42.00 per Ton + Delivery |
Torpedo Sand Construction sand (Light tan color) Most commonly used for leveling and spacing between bricks and pavers. Also used to make cement. $34.00 per Ton + Delivery |
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Forest Floor A blended mixture of mulch, soil & compost. Adds essential nutrients, increases plant health. Natural dark color. $31.00 per Cubic Yard + Delivery |
The driver called ahead and came right after 7:00. Such a big help on a hot day. We were able to finish by lunchtime. Thank you! I'm newish to the area but you have an annual mulch customer for life. What a wonderful service.
Everything went very smoothly. I'm never buying bagged mulch again!
Thank you so much for your help! They delivered it yesterday and it was so simple. If anyone asks about this experience, please convey that I thought it was even easier than doing it myself in the past. It certainly was a quick date of delivery. The discount was nice as well!
This was quite a savings — at least $600. My sister got me into your site. Such a great idea!
The mulch looks great! The driver called when he was 15 min away, arriving around 12:45. He was efficient and careful when unloading the truck. Most of the mulch landed on the tarp, we just didn't know how much space it would take on the driveway so we overlapped the two sheets a bit too much. We have spread out almost half already! Would definitely order through you again.
Thanks for checking in! Yes, the delivery was great and the driver was. Amazing. He provided guidance on where to put the tarps to keep the dirt/mulch off the rocks in the alley. He was super careful with my garage (no damage) and quite patient.
Thank you for coordinating all this!
Thanks for checking in. Delivery was smooth. and. the product is outstanding. Don't why anyone would ever use bagged mulch when this stuff is available. Appreciate your help in setting it up.
Been spreading my mulch around all day! Thanks again, been telling everyone about how wonderful being a part of the plant club has been!
The bedding mix looks and smells fantastic! So far, we have only filled the beds. Later, there will be endless wonders to share!
Super happy with the quality of the product and delivery was perfect. Thank you. Looking forward to my plants next week!
Planning for your mulch delivery? Here are some tips from other Plant Club members, likely to help you make the delivery go smoothly.
Be prepared in advance of delivery day. Get a tarp, or even an old sheet, and place it in the area where you would like the driver to dump the mulch. Adding some rocks or bricks in the corner will keep the tarp in place. Making it very obvious where you want the product placed will eliminate wasted time, minimize any confusion about placement, and ensure you of a smooth delivery, whether you are home or not.
Here's an example of a great way to set things up in advance for your mulch delivery.
Note the photo on the right, following the delivery. This Club member opted to have a "split truck" delivery, meaning the driver brought two items in one truck. She also had extra tarps, to cover the mulch, because the weather forecast indicated it might rain and she wanted to minimize the mulch getting wetter and heavier before she had time to move it.
We try very hard to source exactly what you’d like, but sometimes growers run out of plants! While this variety is a great deal at the price shown, we know that it has limited availability. If you want the plant even if it might be more expensive, or in a different size or quantity -- after you place your order, just send us a quick note at help@northshoreplantclub.com. Then, we’ll try to get you some version of this from one of our growers. And if we can’t get it from anywhere, of course, we’ll send a refund!
Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.
Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.
Want a better way to get great plants and make your yard look awesome? Create your account below and get:
Membership is free, but — since we rely on delivery and local pick-up — you have to live near one of our hubs (or be willing to drive to a site to pick them up). If you live farther away, and would like to help us bring the club to your neighbors, please email helpusgrow@northshoreplantclub.com.
To secure the best prices for club members and make sure we know the current plants available from each nursery, we take orders only a couple of times a month.
Shoot us an email at help@northshoreplantclub.com, and we'll be happy to talk about plants or let you know when it's time to buy them!