To Weed Or Not To Weed-That Is The Question!

By Ena Clewes

When I first started my present garden, it had been totally farmland and therefore, it was full of weeds. It had no shape. It was like a typical farmers field, bumpy ground and obnoxious weeds. At first I felt rather daunted and overwhelmed by the job of creating this nightmare into an English Cottage garden. As I have lived in England, I knew what I wanted my garden to look like. I just was not sure that I had enough physical energy and determination to get the job done.

I have learned in life, that if you tackle a large project one step at a time, rather than look at a project in its entirety, you are more likely to achieve your goals. I had to think, just what do I want from my garden? Was it to be a place where I could relax, or a place to have wild poolside parties, or a place where I could lose myself in time? While weeding and creating, I chose the latter, but it is important if you are starting from scratch to know what kind of garden you want. Gardens are never made by accident. Whether it’s a sterile plot or a space filled with plants, someone decides the precise arrangement they want and are prepared to maintain.

I broke all my own rules about planning and detail before getting started. I just went ahead and by instinct knew what I wanted. As my garden covers 2 acres of land, I really could not financially employ anyone to help to dig it all up and renew the soil, so I had to go it alone with my trusty spade and garden fork and my aching muscles and tubes of liniment!

I like rounded edges in my flowerbeds, not straight sided. I think rounded edges add softness to any design, but I had to angle the edges from the grass to stop the weeds from growing into the flowerbeds. I thought that would work, but I soon found out differently. I think some of the weeds I encountered had roots going down 50 feet! As soon as I would dig them out, they just came back. This was very discouraging and backbreaking, but I was determined to go ahead.

Weeds grow either from seed or they reproduce from their roots. The roots grow outward from the parent plant and produce new plants, springing up from lateral roots, creating more parent plants and the process just goes on and on and the weeds thrive. We must remember that weeds are just plants growing in the wrong place. They need water, sunlight and nutrition to survive.

The easiest of these essentials for a gardener to control is sunlight. Before mulching, remove all vegetation from your planting area and, using a hoe, undercut the roots and remove the plant, roots and all. Then turn the soil by hand. You may decide to turn it again after a few days have passed. This brings the roots that were left in the soil to the top and the sun will dry them out and make them less viable. It also disturbs the weed seeds that have started to germinate, which makes them less viable. The longer you continue this process, the more weeds you eliminate from your garden.

Before mulching, place newspaper (about 8 layers thick) over the soil and place the mulch on top. The newspaper blocks the sunlight from reaching the soil, which keeps weed growth to a minimum. As it decomposes, it will not affect the appearance of your garden. After 6 years of battling with my own weeds, I am not sure who is winning the battle, but I am determined to win the war!!

I hope you will be able to reach your own goals and realize that nothing is impossible when determination and creativity are your partners.

Ena Clewes is a transplanted Scot, living in Ontario, on a farm where she has an English garden. She is a writer and speaker with a passion for gardening.

Please visit my new garden Forum, I am always looking for gardening questions to answer, so I will look forward to meeting you there!

Ena Clewes Master gardener and creative writer. I have just started a new garden forum, and I would love if you would meet me there, and ask any questions you may have about your own garden. http://bMrsGreenthumb.runboard.com