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Old 07-08-2007, 08:43 PM posted to rec.gardens
Ann Ann is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,162
Default Best option to cover beds (mulch/pebble?)

stillill expounded:


I was looking for some advice on how best to cover our front garden,
which is just beds with a couple of rose bushes. There are no bedding
plants as we don't have time to maintain them really.

I was thinking of just covering the beds with weed control material,
and putting down some mulch to cover the area. The garden is flat, and
I was worried about the mulch bark chippings blowing away. Is this
likely? Alternative is to use something like pebbles or similar.

We don't really mind that much how it looks (it is a rented house and
the landlord is letting us doing it and paying for it), just that it's
easily maintainable.

Thank you very much


I just spent two hours weeding a 3x15' bed that was covered with weed
block fabric and stone mulch. Let me tell you it was miserable work
getting those damned roots out of the fabric. Don't worry about the
mulch chips blowing away, worry about the weed seeds blowing into the
mulch and onto the fabric, germinating, setting roots through the
fabric, and the not being able to get them out.

Leave out the fabric. Put down a good layer of mulch. Plan on
pulling a few weeds - easy enough if done while they're still young,
you can just move the mulch around a bit and it's all done.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
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