I got an email from a reader years ago in April about a sunny site with a recurring weed problem.
“I used some chemicals a few years prior and got rid of them.”
The bad news was that weeds from the lawn had crept back into her flower beds. As you prepare for the main part of the gardening season and recall the weeds you pulled last year, we need to approach weeding differently this year.
There are times after a long, frustrating day that pulling weeds would seem to be a good solution to getting rid of the bad feelings. My mother enjoyed weeding after a stressful day at work.
For the most part, we kids could think of something else on which to spend our time.
Professionally, I am a landscape designer, and, over the years, I have recommended holding beds to everyone who loves their perennials. I have always felt that this idea is a prudent plan before starting any changes in your landscape.
Most clients have commended this idea and encouraged others to make special beds.
When one of my clients told me he would like to preserve his plants, I recommended a holding bed. As time passed, with the holding beds, he would move the plants back to their beds after the deep cleaning.
I would stroll through my client’s yard, and we would identify the perennials in the beds with little flags. This concept allows you to have a chance to address the weeds in your beds without fear of losing your favorite perennials.
When you have weeds surrounding your precious perennials, you need a plan before you pull.
There are benefits to moving plants that can be moved into a holding bed.
First, it frees you to get rid of the weeds by applying whatever treatment you choose.
Second, the plants receive nutrients in a new area, which can rejuvenate the plants that you would move.
Third, if you have an idea of what your healthy plant should look like, then you can closely look at the roots and the plant and see if there are any problems with the plant that need to be addressed.
Fourth, and probably the most obvious, perennials need to be divided at some point, and don’t always have a person to divide them.
Dividing a plant is equivalent to pruning. By dividing the perennials, you see new growth and get new flowers from a plant that hasn’t had any flowers for some time.
Once you have taken the good guys out of your flower bed and snugly tucked them in the holding bed temporarily, you need to decide how to address the bad guys. Most weeds pulled out by the roots will die if you dig them completely out of the ground. If you get the weeds out by removing them by hand, you should be fine. This work will take longer, but it will also be safer.
I also like the option of improving the soil. Don’t feel bad! Most of us haven’t looked at the soil in our beds. I feel strongly about getting fresh nutrients into old beds. Nutrient deficiency in plants can appear as diseases.
Fresh nutrients in your beds can improve plant health by providing nutrients that have been depleted from the soil by plants in the garden.
One of my big struggles in weeding has been Canada Thistle. This thistle’s rhizomatic roots break easily and are numerous when you look at them. Sometimes the only way to get rid of them is by getting rid of the soil.
This also means fresh compost, soil, and naturally occurring fertilizers will be added to the bed. This will provide a healthy environment for the newly re-transplanted perennials that will do well in the reworked
beds.
When you plan to protect your precious perennials as you pull the weeds, you will have plenty of years to enjoy the perfume of your peonies.
I hope that you have a good stroll through your garden this week. You can reach me at ericlarson546@yahoo.com.