So, you don't want to weed? Good on ya`!

I am one of those people that think you shouldn't have to slave away to have a beautiful and lush garden. It's true, most people don't garden near what they'd like to because they can't handle all that raggedy weeding. Well, what if you didn't HAVE to weed? Oh yeah, I'm serious. Keep on`a readin`!

I'm talking about mass planting and using various additions in your garden to avoid those nasty unwanteds.

Things to help suppress weeds until your plants get established.

Old Sheets

Garbage Bags

News Papers

Just about anything else you can lay over the soil to prevent weeding.

I know it is a daunting task to undergo a new garden. It always is because it's a lot of hard work initially. Never be afraid to ask for help! If you have older children make them help you. You're their parent and they have to listen or you won't pay their cell phone bill. A good punishment for naughty children is having to weed on their weekends off.

The addition of drip lines can help suppress weeds enough that your plants take off at such a rate they crowd them out and they never really get a foothold to start with. Excess water is not just a waste- it's a demon in disguise. Don't PAY your weeds- Kick them out like bad tenants! Fertilize carefully, making sure to not spread it all over the ground. Target fertilize around your plants so most of the nutrients go to them and not the weeds.

Tell me, how's a weed gonna grow in THAT?

It's such an easy concept-better yet it is easy to actually accomplish!

How do we do it? Well, let's break this down shall we?

I'm assuming you already have your ground worked and ready for the plants you want to grow.

Now, lay your newspaper or whatever you're using to keep weeds down. If you don't have anything, just (like I do) plant more fast growing plants in their stead. I use sedum and daisies a lot in my gardens. They grow very fast but are easily removed at a later date. And they're desirable to boot! Plant carefully the things you want to stay in your garden, follow spacing requirements so you don't have to move them around when they really take off later. Use your fast growing flowers to fill in all the spaces left over. As your main plants take off you can gradually pull out a filler here and there. Much less hassle than a bunch of weeds!!! You may want to use filler plants that don't reseed, I don't but you may want to.

Other things you can do to prevent/thwart weeds.

Try laying solid concrete or brick paths and sitting areas. Make sure to plant things in where the spaces between stones are. Maybe irish moss or some tiny tough sedums. I understand that some people have gardens where the plants are in perfect little clumps all to themselves and they don't really want a full garden. You can either lay down moss and hope it takes off and prevents weeds (this is a gorgeous thing to see) or you can go the old fashioned way of laying down weed suppressing plastic/material. Lay your pebbles or mulch over the top and viola, no more weeds. Or, you can always use weed killer. It's fast and it works, just be mindful of the plants you WANT to keep, lol.

Possibilities!	Note that some of these plants are more aggressive than others.
Fillers for Full Sun.	Hare's Tail Grass, Bunny Tails Lagurus ovatus Appleblossom Grass Gaura lindheimeri 'Pink Cloud' Bracted Daylily, Small Daylily, Grassleaf Daylily Hemerocallis dumortieri Canberra Grass, Two Flowered Knawel, Mossy Scabweed Scleranthus biflorus Golden Creeping Jenny, Gold Moneywort Lysimachia nummularia Marguerite Daisy, Summer Daisy, Cobbity Daisy, Paris Daisy Argyranthemum African Daisy, South African Daisy, Cape Daisy and Blue-eyed Daisy Osteospermum Hybrid 'Orange Symphony' Ox-Eye Daisy, Field Daisy, Marguerite, Moon Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare Blackfoot Daisy, Black Foot Daisy, Plains Black Foot Daisy Melampodium leucanthum
Fillers for Part Sun.	Hakone Grass, Japanese Forest Grass Hakonechloa macra Canberra Grass, Two Flowered Knawel, Mossy Scabweed Scleranthus biflorus Golden Creeping Jenny, Gold Moneywort Lysimachia nummularia
Fillers for Shade.	Hakone Grass, Japanese Forest Grass Hakonechloa macra Canberra Grass, Two Flowered Knawel, Mossy Scabweed Scleranthus biflorus Golden Creeping Jenny, Gold Moneywort Lysimachia nummularia