Maria, I have used street tree mulch, a few different stones, with one being river stones, in two sizes where I get mine from and one called tuscan, available in a few sizes too and I've also used woodchips and there appears to be no stand out winner or looser, nor have I found that the stone beds cause any sort of harm to the plants, even though I agree with @geluka that the very nature of stones would suggest that they would get hot. Providing none of the mulch is right up against the trunk or base of your plants, midesign0401's suggestions are all perfect, but as far as the cheapest for your rental, woodchips or street tree mulch but as will all light mulches like this, the birds will move them around and it would be advantageous to have a border of some description to try to hold them in, otherwise if you cant or don't have that, then I'd have to suggest stone as it stays exactly where it's put and birds don't disturb it at all either. I have attached a few photo's, the first two of which have the different stones river and tuscan respectively and the last photo has wood chips. You can see in the first photo that I have limestone blocks, mainly as a pretty border to accomodate the raised beds but in the last photo it hold in the wood chips. The second photo has the tuscan pebbles so the limestone edging is much lower and the beds of which there are five, are not raised much at all as they border the driveway.

I agree, I think it will look lovely.

How exciting renovating your kitchen. Making it your own. Changing the old for the new. Learning all about stone and how you can use it in the home. So much to learn, so much choice, so many different types of stone for benchtops on the market. The Marble Man specialise in repairs polishing and sealing stone with 27 years experience working with all stone - natural and manmade - can assist you with information on stone. Take the time to learn about stone - www.themarbleman.com.au. Give The Marble Man technicians a call 1300 627 626. We can advise you on Natural marble, granite, limestone, travertine and engineered stone - such as those manufactured and sold by various brands. All produce outstanding, high quality stone to be used for kitchen benchtops, bathroom vanities and other uses in the home or commercial environment. It is important to look after stone. All stone for benchtops, bar tops, vanity units and tables require regular care to keep them looking clean and attractive. Some natural stone benchtops are porous and if not sealed can be susceptible to staining. The Marble Man specialises in removing stains from kitchen benchtops, bathroom vanities, bar tops and tables using a poultice or special cleaning products. Our trained technicians will assess your stone to determine the level of cleaning it requires and recommend the right products to keep your stone benchtops looking like new. Give The Marble Man technicians a call 1300 627 626. Take the time to learn about stone - www.themarbleman.com.au.

Before you start with any treatment it is best to see what type of natural stone you have, there many of them and each natural stone has its own specs. The following are general maintenance tips: - Seal your surfaces, you can use whatever brand as long as you follow the manufacturers instruction. - Do not wipe a spill, dab/blot on the area and then clean with a non acid based cleaner or just plain water. - There are two popular types of Sealers, water based and oil based. Both are great, however the oil based has a stronger smell. - Non of the current sealers in the market Guaranty no wine staining. so if you have a natural stone or getting it, try to clean wine spills and other staining food products immediately. - We recommend that you keep a stain stop cleaner (Lithofin is the most popular) at home and use it to wipe the surface once cleaned, just to keep the surface sealed. Above are general tips we have learned overtime working with natural stone, if you have any tips please share, and if you have any questions, we are more than happy to answer :)