With spring season already in full swing in many areas of Tyler and other parts of Texas, many homeowners are already thinking about spring landscaping and flower planting. Flower beds are a particular point of interest this time of year, as they’re easy to maintain as you get started rebuilding your landscape after the winter, but a there’s also a common enemy that often arises here: Weeds.
At Lawn Care Experts, we’re proud to offer numerous lawn care, tree care, disease control and other landscaping services for all our Tyler clients, including those who enjoy flower beds and want to prioritize them early in the spring season. What can you do to prevent weeds from ever showing up and impacting your flower bed efforts at any point in the year? This two-part blog series will go over several good areas to keep in mind.
Weed Barrier
For those who are starting from step one and have not done any planting already when reading this, a great first step that often prevents weeds entirely for the remainder of the season is the laying of a weed barrier. This comes in the form of landscape fabric, burlap or even cardboard that’s placed in the bottoms of flower beds to stop weeds from coming in.
All you have to do is overlap the ends of each strip of fabric (or cardboard) by a few inches, then anchor down the edges with garden staples. From here, cut an X and pin back the material in any location where you’re planting flowers, to allow them to obtain proper nutrients. Our landscapers will be happy to assist you here if needed.
Composting
For those who have a compost, it can provide a great cyclical resource for weed removal and prevention. Good compost or organic matter makes it far less likely for dormant weed seeds to germinate – we aren’t even totally sure why, though there are theories that it has to do with these seeds’ ability to recognize less conducive conditions.
On the flip side of this, if you do happen to have weed growth anywhere in your garden, whether in flower beds or elsewhere, these weeds will help your compost once removed. Weeds can often be added to compost to strengthen it and prevent erosion.
Mulch Use
Another great method of preventing weeds from growing is putting down a layer of mulch over the bottom of flower beds. A two- or three-inch layer of mulch will not only look great in many flower beds, it will also improve flower moisture retention while limiting erosion and even controlling pest presence. And of course, it will cut off the access weeds have to various nutrients and sunlight. In many cases, mulch is used in coordination with a weed barrier.
For more on how to prevent weed formation in your flower beds in Tyler or nearby areas of Texas, or to learn about any of our lawn care or other landscaping services, speak to the staff at Lawn Care Experts today.