Question
QUESTION: I bought my house in June 2007. The back flower beds were very overgrown with healthy perennials. I wanted something different and lower maintenance. I paid to have the perennials supposedly taken out and lower maintenance shrubs put in. They mulched the beds but apparently not well enough. I was able to keep the weeds and regrowth under control until the heat of the summer. I think the landscaper should have advised me to wait at least a year before replanting anything else so that I could be sure to get rid of any unwanted plants. Is he responsible for getting this problem under control or it it just my tough luck?

ANSWER: Hey, Judi.

There's no need to wait at least a year because weeds have a very short growth cycle. That's why we can never get rid of them. For example, the longest growth cycle belongs to trees, which can live for thousands of years. Then we have shrubs/bushes, which can live for 10-20 years. Then there are perennials, which can live for 5-10 years. Then annuals, which go through their life cycle in one year. Finally, there are the weeds, which go through their life cycle in a few days to a few months. So it will take some time for any leftover perennial seeds to grow and be pulled out.

Weeds will always be a problem; there's just no getting around that. Mulch helps tremendously because the weed roots can't get a good grip in the soil, so they are easier to pull out, and there won't be as many weeds growing as if you had bare soil. Additionally, I'm hoping that the landscaper put down weed cloth under the mulch. That will also help control weed growth. If you don't like pulling the few weeds that do come up, RoundUp works well.

When you say that you bought your house in June 2007 and was able to keep the weeds under control until the heat of the summer, are you talking the heat of the 2007 summer or the 2008 summer? Generally, about the best I could ever accomplish with weed cloth, mulch, and Roundup was about 60-90 days, although I believe RoundUp recommends monthly applications, but that's probably without the weed cloth and the mulch.

So I'm not sure there's anything that the landscaper needs to get under control, but I don't think it's your tough luck either. It's the nature of Mother and Father Nature when they want to grow things that they want to grow. You could have the landscaper come out monthly or quarterly to follow up on things and keep things under control for you, or if you're like me, do it yourself once the landscaper has done the initial preparatory work like he did.

Hope that helps.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your reply. In answer your questions, the landscaper did NOT put weed cloth under the mulch. I was able to control the overgrowth until the heat of summer 2008. Now I am overwhelmed. I have been doing the Roundup but I it's hard not to get it on the plants I want to keep, especially since I tried to start some ground cover. I guess when the weather turns cooler, I will attack the weeds again. I really wanted low maintenance.

Answer
Hey, Judi.

Without the weed cloth, the mulch will eventually simply decompose and turn into nice organic soil that the weeds will love. Did he use fine mulch or big pieces of bark?

What state and city are you in? Knowing that might help me give you a little better guidance as far as weeds, mulch, etc. If you would like to take further conversation off line so as not do put your name, city, and state on the Internet, email me directly at [email protected].