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While pulling weeds this morning I made a big decision that should have been made several years ago. Many of the prrenials in my garden I grew from seed. They are already budding up. I think after they bloom I will pot up peices of each one and let them overwinter in pots. Then I am going to lay down layers of newspaper and carboard to try to get rid of the weeds that I cannot fully get out of the garden. Then nest spring I will place the plants back in the garden, leaving plenty of room around them and lay layers of newspaper and cardboard and cover with mulch again. Maybe I can get rid of the weeds at least for a few years. I laid some cardboard down this morning around my blueberry bushes. This is my first year for using cardboard and I am quite excited about it.

Not everything with survive over winter inside so be careful with that. Why not just work on a new bed with the layering starting now & transfer your plants next Spring/Summer? I'd hate to see you lose anything. I have two spots in my beds right now that have hard clay soil so when DH trimmed some sod I just put down a layer of alfalfa in those spots & turned the sod over on it (roots up) as there was wonderful soil there. I then soaked it all in & put black plastic over it to kill the roots. I'll leave it there for the summer & turn in the Fall with two wonderful spots to further enrich or plant. Have you read the Lasagna Gardening Book? You can layer in some grass clippings all summer ..? DH actually moved the sod for me as my back & leg are bugging me...the price we pay for horticulture beauty!!!

I really don't want to sound negative, BUT I have done several "lasagna" type beds and the beginning results the following spring are wonderful. I'm hoping that it's only in Mississippi, but WEEDS have a very bad habit of coming back...eventually. The first year of a new lasagna bed is really nice. There never are very many weeds, but as time goes on, the weeds come back. It could also be the way I'm doing it, but I have found that weeds are a part of the garden, whether I like it or not. I keep a weed killer near by for poison ivy and some things that I really don't want. I have learned to share my garden to an extent...the weeds stay there until I have time to go out and weed my flower beds!

No hard feelings. I was looking for suggestions. If I plant them in pots they will stay outside. I have no place for them inside. I think the problem started because the bed was placed as soon as we built the house. There were lots of perrinial weeds and they have really gotten ahold of the bed. I really have not given it the attention it needed. I have not spent a lot of money in flowers in that bed. I have plenty of time to think about it.

This is what I do in my perennial beds. If there is a perennial that I want to keep, then I dig it up and put it in a pot. Then I clean any and all sticks and debris out of the bed, then I till it. When I till it, I put new soil[usually compost] on top of the old and get rid of any roots from trees or whatever is left in the bed. Then I replant. If I have any new plants that I want to put in there, that's when I'll do it.
I have no idea where this idea came from, but the year after I do this, I don't have any weeds. They always come back, but I do have a short reprieve. I only do this every 3 years. I'M LAZY!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Barb in Mississippi,

Do you really have to start over? Can't you just dig up everything around the plants, as they are in place, and lay the weed barrier, top off the garden soil to replace the 2-3 inches you lost and got rid of with the weeds, etc, and mulch in place?

As oppose to the overwintering in pots? (Which for me would be too much work)

Trying to do it with the plants in place might be slow going, but for me would be less hassle in the end. But overwintering does give you a completely fresh slate and bed to work with, and design and place things in like you'd prefer.

I have used the newspaper method with great results...Gets rid of grass especially. Now in my flower beds I use PREEN (I know, a chemical) in the spring and it kills all the weeds that come up from seed. Takes very little.

clbselah, I'm doing this because I want to do it. I can clean out the beds and they will be weed free for at least one year. I don't use the weed barrier. I did when I made my iris beds and that stuff doesn't work. I had weeds everywhere.
What I do is alot of work, but it doesn't have to be done at all. The way you describe is great, but I prefer to take up the perennials and till up the soil. This way, I can dig in the compost, before I replant.
May, I don't care for Preen, mainly because I like to drop seeds around my perennials and alot of times my grandkids "help". They have no idea where I put the preen.

I'm sure all will go well. Good luck with it.

Have you tried that Preen weed preventative? It won't kill existing weeds but stop new ones so once an area is weeded you can stop them & if you use the stuff year after year it works even better. We tried it along are hedge & now just a handful of weeds all year long. It lists the flowers it is safe to use it around. Just a thought as I am not looking at exactly what you would be treating. I personally think I would start a new healthy bed & when done move my plants there & then improve the weedy bed. I never seem to have enough flower beds! LOL In the end you would have two healthy spots to grow & the enriched bed will make all the difference. In my clay it is something you have to continue to do...even adding a few bags of compost will give you better results. Good Luck!

I have two containers of Preen sitting in my garage, never opened. I wait too late each year to apply. The weeds in this bed are growing up threw perrinials. I thought it would be a good time to divide and get all the weeds out of the plants, or at least most of them. As far as starting a new bed and keeping the existing one, that is not an option.n I trimmed this bed sown considerably a few years ago. All in all it is about the size of a small apartment so I think I have ample flower space. It is only part of the bed I want to tear up. The other part is growning good and is easy to keep weed almost free.

Not to late for Preen. I would say use that stuff & you will be happier this time next year! Just be sure it can't hurt the flowers you have there.I didn't picture such a large area. I had an area with loads of grasses coming up in a bed & pulled as best I could & then mulched in between & its looking great now. You must have atomic weeds?! LOL Wish we could come pull up our sleeves & help you!

All my gardens were lasagna gardens.......and as Barb stated, they work well for the first maybe the second year. The lasagna method kills the existing weeds underneath.....but mowing, birds and wind deposit weed seeds back into the beds where they are exposed to sun, water and air...uh oh...weed city again. Agree, weeds are a part of gardening.

I don't like to use Preen or any other weed preventer either because it is non-descriminate...it kills all seeds. Lots of my plants are self seeding annuals and I want them to come back next year. However, as I age, in desperation this year I did buy some and put it in purely a perennial bed. Either I didn't do it right, or else I also have atomic weeds because it didn't slow them down one bit...and they are still coming up!! Bummer....it's back to weeding again and in this heat too!

Good luck with whatever you decide.

ve

ve, I'm glad that it just isn't me! I put out, I don't know how much Preen and I still have weeds like crazy!
I put that stuff down where I have weeds really bad and I still have weeds really bad!

Barb, no, it isn't just you. While it was cool(er) this morning I was out in that same bed deadheading lilies and pulling weeds. Irritates me to death because I really expected at least one weed free garden! I don't think the stinkin' stuff works.


ve

That stuff costs a lot of money too. Man if it does not work that is gonna upset me. So I guess I will try it. My main weeds are thistle and I have probably 95% less than I had 6 years ago. I pulled, used newspaper and mulch and now have much less. This year I am trying cardboard because newspaper is hard to come by in this house. I complain about the weeds but truth be known I let them get away from me last year because of the heat. That is why I am going great g un s after them this year.

The whole ordeal sounds very time consuming- by the time you lay down all the cardboard and mulch over top of it.....well let's just say you are going to need a hefty layer of mulch for full coverage and weeds still grow in mulch...i don't think this is the best strategy- plus as the cardboard breaks down it is going to pop back up to the surface and make a big mess!!!

Jeffery, I agree about weeds will still grow in mulch. The cardboard is to smother the existing weeds underneath it. No, the cardboard will not pop back up and make a big mess. The cardboard underneath will break down slowly and pull in earthworms like crazy! It's called lasagna gardening...ie, layers building up the soil, killing weeds and grass underneath.

ve

I agree with owie and I am upset! I have tried it on thistle and it works about as good as it does on morning glory. IT DOESN'T! I won't be buying anymore preen. I really am disappointed in a product that is "supposed" to work and is recommended by professionals. I spend alot of money on the stuff and it doesn't do any good. I'd hire a landscaper, but what for? I can do as good a job as they can!

Preen works by keeping the new weeds from growing.It doesnt kill the prexisting weeds.Last year I hoed and tilled up one bed,raked out all weeds.Then I used preen and mulched on top of that.A few weeds are just now growing in that area.I got to get on top of that.

jackierenette, I read the directions before I bought the preen. I cleaned up my flower beds before I used the preen. I used it like you and the directions suggest, I did mulch. I don't usually mulch cause I just don't want to spend the money, but this time I used pinestraw. My cat decided to make a bed in the pinestraw and I caught her before she could do too much damage. I started to rake the pinestraw back and saw a weed, so I decided to weed a little. A little turned into at least 2 hours. I guess you could say that I got on top of the weeds and no thanks to preen, I've been there ever since!

Yep - about the same situation here with the Preen. I followed the directions to the letter. Maybe it just doesn't work in really hot climates where weeds germinate quickly. I will certainly not waste my **$ again on it for sure.

ve