Why not do the newspaper and mulch? Bulbs won't be a consideration until spring. By then weeds will histrory. You can remove mulch for bulbs and maybe try some Preen to keep the weeds down.

Yes, the newspaper and mulch shouldn't affect the spring bulbs. The newspaper should be rotted by then and bulbs won't have any problems coming up through the mulch.

You could always try something like Roundup on the current weed population. In fact, you could probably continue to use it the rest of the summer as long as there aren't any garden plants actively growing in this area.

Kevin

i would use 100% round up [actually full strength is 41%] ...in the very expensive applicator at the link..

cut plant.. one drop on the stem...

if children around.. return RU to properly labeled container for storage .... or mark the applicator appropriately ....

repeat ad nauseum until you win ... perhaps every few weeks ... as you kill off the deeper rooted perennial weeds ...

a light layer of mulch will help as most weed seeds are surface sprouters.. so if you cover the surface.. you can reduce such.. but if too deep... you will lose you annual .. self sowers ....

a pic might get you other ideas ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: brand is not important

It's a relatively small area. I had the same problem. The solution is to weed by hand all the plants you don't want, before they set seed. After a few years, the perennial weeds lose energy (not having their leaves) and all the seeds have sprouted and the problem cures itself. It takes persistence, but it works for me.

What is the end goal of the area? Is it eventually going to be a perennial garden? a meadow garden? a mulch garden?

If you are just looking for ideas, I'll suggest a mowed meadow. Just wait until the bulbs die down for the first mowing, and treat it like lawn. Lawnmowers are extremely good at taking care of the woody weeds that are truly vicious.

The end goal was to have something to look at from the kitchen window aside from a mass of weeds that couldn't be mowed due to the fallen slate no one could figure out what to do with.
I have shrubs ( quart sized viburnums) planted toward the back and wanted to front them with a spring show of miniature bulbs and some kind of filler flowers that would take over once the bulbs are through.

Unfortunately, I have a mixture of "barnyard grasses" and invasive grasses (quack) that tend to take over and choke out everything, so a meadow lawn approach won't work well. It sounds like a nice idea, though.

A meadow lawn is simply a nicer expression for the 'it's green and I mow it' school of lawn maintenance. It's green, and you run a lawnmower over it. End of story.

The slightly longer version is that very, very few lawn weeds are even in the same category of nastiness as the woody weeds that can sprout up in unweeded, unmowed space. So in a lot of cases, the secret to happiness regarding a real garden mess is to clean it up to the point where it can be mowed. It sounds like you've done that part.