Weeds are the bane of many a gardener’s existence, and with the growth season underway, they can crop up in full force. We can help! Here are a few tips to reduce weeds in your yard.
Fill up those planting beds!
My personal strategy for combating weeds is to fill my beds with so many plants, there’s not much room left for weeds. Intentionally installing plants – whether they are trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses, edibles, or ground covers – helps choke out weeds.
Expand hardscaping
We’re not suggesting you pave your entire yard, but adding areas of hardscaping, such as paver patios, gravel paths, dry creek beds, decorative boulders and rock, etc. can add increased functionality, interest, and beauty to your outdoor spaces.
Mulch
Adding bark dust to your planting beds can help reduce the spread of weeds. While compost is our favorite mulch because plants love it, weeds are plants, and they love it too. If weed control is your goal, bark mulch is a better choice than compost.
Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance!
While it may seem like a given, it’s important to stay on top of weeding chores. Removing unwanted plant material as soon as you see it is far easier than after the weed has developed an extensive root system or gone to seed. The smaller the plant, the easier it is to pull up. Time needed varies from yard to yard, but I find as little a couple of hours per month weeding my standard-sized Portland lot is enough for me to keep things in control. If weeding’s not your thing, the good news is that we can help! Our maintenance team would be happy to get rid of those pesky weeds for you.
While all unwanted plants can be a nuisance, there are a number of plants considered invasive in the Portland Metro area, and these are particularly important to eradicate from your yard. There are a number of resources to help you identify and learn how to remove invasive weeds. Here are a few to check out:
- Oregon Noxious Weed Profiles: https://www.oregon.gov/ODA/programs/Weeds/OregonNoxiousWeeds/Pages/AboutOregonWeeds.aspx
- Back Yard Habitat: https://backyardhabitats.org/resources/invasive-weeds/