This sounds like a good compromise, Lyn. We typically use shredded/chipped wood here and/or pine straw, since it is readily available from several sources. I buy mine by the yard, which is a pick-up full, and have started using only cypress mulch. Other woods are available, depending on location, and pine mulch is always available and the least expensive. I like the cypress because it seems to last longer. I use 4-5 yds. each year.
I also use the cypress mulch as my "flooring" in my two greenhouses. I put down about 3", level it, and then cover it all with fabric flooring, a tough, durable fabric made to be used in greenhouses. I use perhaps 1/2 yd. per greenhouse. The mulch provides cushion, making standing more comfortable and is easy/inexpensive to use, but its main purpose is to absorb water and keep the humidity high in the greenhouses. I grow nothing but tropical plants in the greenhouses, so humidity is important. It will slowly break down and every two years I have to add another 1-2" of mulch.
