I have a large bed of lily of the valley on two sides of my house, and it's become mostly weeds at this point. I'm trying to get rid of it all and start fresh to plant only rose bushes, and I started by laying down cardboard and an inch of dirt last fall. Half of the stuff came back this spring with a vengeance. What else can I do??
Hey everyone :) I’ve been fortunate enough to have been allocated a small community plot, basically just shy of 7x3m bed (will attach pics)
I want to to layer cardboard and compost on top Dowding style but I’ve been asked to try and keep some of the plants going(including a small eucalyptus tree)
How would I go about doing it in a way that keeps randomly placed plants but clear enough to start from semi scratch?
I was thinking of cutting the cardboard around them but would that not allow lots of light in and cause weed problem?
And do I lightly fork it or just cover over the top of the greenery and compost on top without pulling them?(is my main question)
It’s really hit hard with weeds of all sorts..
Any advice I’d greatly appreciated:)
I’ve never gardened outdoors before, only indoor houseplants and succulents. My husband was sweet and tried to make me a small no dig flower bed for Mother’s Day. I’m wanting to try my first attempt at flowers (maybe zinnia?) nothing is planted yet, but I’m wondering…. Does it look okay/usable? We still need to figure out a better edging situation, but he used what was around outside. Its in zone 6b S/SE facing. Thanks😊.
First year was cardboard over lawn and about a 6" top dressing with a compost mix and a good broadfork over the area before planting. Great results year 1.
Last fall I covered the plot with leaves and some wheat straw plus manure. This spring about an inch of compost mix and a good broadfork before planting.
You can see the soil texture I now have compared to what I started with last spring. Maybe not the method for everybody but works great for me.