We have a small bed in the front of our house as shown below. It has had artilery fungus for the last few seasons and I want to completely be rid of it. 
I am considering putting in rubber mulch, as I hate having to mulch every year or two and am not very good at landscaping. Regarding rubber mulch, I have a few questions:
- Do the bushes shown in these pictures look like they would be ok in rubber mulch? I've heard it's harder for plants to get nutriets, but not like we are planting flowers. These shurbs are pretty hands off...
To remove the artillery fungus, I need to completely remove all existing mulch and dirt. And then I've read it's important to put down landscaping fabric and then the mulch. My next question:
Should we put down soil or something above/below the landscaping fabric? For example fabrict -> dirt -> rubber mulch? This bed is very thin, basically clay and feels like I should add a bunch of dirt/soil somehow. But it's not like it has to be as rich as garden soil. Can I buy cheap dirt at the store or something?
Is there something like scotch grow pellets that I could put down each year that would seep through the mulch and give the shurbs nutrients?
How "deep" should the mulch be? Can it just be a single layer (ie. 1 inch) or does it need to be 2-3 inches thick? Does it matter? Rubber mulch is expensive so trying to not overbuy.
Thanks
