I admit, I have used Preen or another brand. As I expand my beds, I couldn't keep up with weeds. I have a neighbor that lets all the weeds grow and has no lawn. I used to have two like this but one is all cleaned up now:) I had to use a weed product for a couple of years until I got a handle on it. I have skipped it on some beds now; I don't like to use chemicals, but still use it on the borders between properties where it is hard to get back there and weed. Its easier to apply in the spring before the hosta unfurl. I also mulch but I don't like it thick, just a half inch to an inch. It needs to be refreshed about every two years because I move plants around and it gets dug in, as well as naturally decomposing. Good luck.

I hand weed a little every day.

Kinda gives you a new appreciation for those perfectly manicured weed free yards you see photos of everywhere doesn't it? I have one of those weed free manicured yards and it is only because I put in the time doing the work. Day after day.

If it was easy everyone would do it.

Probably an unpopular opinion, heh.

those that did not come back stronger.. dig them up.. and find out why ...

either they were planted too deep.. or vermin may have got to them .. or tree roots ... etc.. but you wont know.. until you dig them up ...

if in real bad shape.. many might suggest you pot them to get them going.. and then replant in early fall ....

mulch should be applied 3 to 4 inches deep.. so it settles to 2 to 3 inches.. and covers ALL exposed soil.. many weeds can not germinate.. unless they hit the soil;... and get sun on them.. so you bury it all ...

and then you try to not let seed fall on top ... e.g. by pulling soil back to the top while weeding ... or letting excapees go to seed ...

and yes.. it has to be maintained.. by the addition of more every year or 3.. depending on how thick you put it on ...

NEVER remove it ... as it breaks down.. it is a good soil amendment ...

but i would pull it back.. to plant a new plant.. and then put it back after the planting.. the whole idea of ...... dont get dirt on top of it thing ...

ken

btw.. preen et al ... is a PRE EMERGENT ... it stops germination ...

its of no use.. now ...that your plants are already growing ...

ken

There are a number of strategies for dealing with weeds but no matter which is chosen, cearbhaill has the answer - it takes a significant and continuous effort. I am in Zone 4 with frost free days only from very late May through mid September. My gardens with hostas occupy a space of about 1000 square metres (about 9000 sq feet) and are fully irrigated. I have worked these gardens since 2004 so have had a test of time on techniques.

Much of my garden is in dense to dappled shade. Generally, not many plants including weeds grow well in shade and this is especially true of those pesky grasses. I plant my hostas with sufficient spacing that they show well as specimens - this allows me space for working around them but also for weeds to grow. I use a weed torch with propane to essentially burn the weeds away without having to bend over or get on my hands and knees. A pass every few weeks does the trick keeping gardens looking weed free. I got my torch from Lee Valley Tools http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?cat=2,2300,44822&p=68997 

In areas of dappled shade, weeds tend to grow much better unfortunately, though grasses which are very difficult to be rid of fortunately do not grow well. I have found that a very thorough torching for a few months to exterminate weeds from seeds allows the planting of ground covers. the ground covers which grow densely keep weeds out fairly well. Lamium and various ferns have given me the most success in this regard while ajuga (bugleweed) is a distant second. I have had limited success with periwinkle or snow on the mountain (euphorbia)- both are very aggressive but the weeds always seem to grow right through it.

Areas with substantial sun are really problematic. I have an area of about 100 square metres (about 1000 sq ft) in full sun with perfect weed growing condition. I had success by a thorough hand weeding followed by installation of a rubber edging to serve as a barrier to grass spreading. Then a thick layer (about 5 cm) of mulch was set down. Weeds will eventually grow through the mulch and the mulch has to be renewed every second year BUT weeds can be fully controlled by the torch method if I make a pass every 2 to 3 weeks.

I do not like to use chemicals for all kinds of health and environmental reasons not to mention that accidents can easily happen killing prized mature hostas. I do appreciate that there may be wildly overgrown areas where only chemicals can help. Despite the fact that I use mulch in full sun to control weed seeds germinating, I am not really a big fan of mulch unless it is absolutely essential. Mulch harbours slugs and that problem is worse than eradicating weeds. My main hosta gardens, in the shade of conifers, are not mulched and are generally slug free. This I attribute to the falling needles from the trees which I only roughly rake spring and fall leaving a sparse littering of very sharp needles on the ground as a slug deterrent.

Ultimately, weeds must be dealt with - there are no silver bullets. You have to work at it continuously though having a strategy for controlling weeds does make the task easier.

I also have a hosta bed under 4 white pine trees and I dont have any holes from slugs in that hosta bed, never thought those pine needles worked on slugs. tks

I had a big problem with goutweed (aegopodium podagraria) for years, but since I plant some hostas and put some in pots between them the problem is solved...I do not use mulch in the hosta beds as groundcover...sometimes an occasional bindweed gets through, but that's it. But you have to like the way it looks...

This is so much to take in on my lunch. I have different types of weeds and some vines. I will take a picture when I get home to show you guys. Thanks for the info thus far.

We have problems with grasses which are extremely hard to eradicate in our daylily beds and weeds around the hostas. I weed between the daylilies and then put down Snapshot--a commercial pre-emergent. Then I put down layers of newspaper and a couple inches of mulch. It keeps the grasses down to a minimum. I weed the hosta beds and put down a couple inches of mulch. It's a constant struggle to keep the weeds to a minimum.

I use mulch (shredded hardwood), and have to agree with everything Ken wrote.

In fact, we just put down 15 cu. yds of it in our yard last week. Let me tell you - that was a LOT of mulch! We thought it would need 10 yds, so ordered that up and hired a college kid to spread it. But it wasn't enough, so we got another 5 yds and had to spread that ourselves (me and DH). A ton of work, but the prep was the worst part of it --- our weeds had gotten away from us for two reasons: it had been almost 2 years since we last mulched; and, we greatly expanded/modified/and generally churned-up a lot of the planting areas so there was a lot more completely exposed soil. And, we created some stone paths and steps (eliminating some grass) and terraced some sloped beds.... loads of work, and somewhat expensive this year. This project started in May, and then life got in the way.... so it took until last week to finish up (I just hate doing this heavy work in hot July!).

Since April/May I have been struggling to keep up with the weeds. And struggling to keep my numerous, new, potted hostas and companion plants watered and happy until I can get them in the ground! Right now they're all sitting under the deck where they get some good morning sun, but are otherwise protected. I definitely didn't want to put smallish plants in the beds first, then have mulch accidentally dumped on top of them. So I hope that this week I get them set in the beds where I think they will go... audition them, if you will... and then do as Ken described - move the mulch aside, plant, and move the mulch back closer (but not up against the crown of the plant!!!).

Oh - and I also took the nuclear option on the rabbits this year. I put chicken wire along the inside of the black metal fencing on both sides of our yard (the back property line has wood privacy fencing). AND, I had to get black chicken wire - have you ever even heard of that? - because one neighbor objected to the appearance of regular chicken wire and wanted it to blend better with the fence. I have to admit it does look better, and is almost invisible except when the sun is shining at a certain angle. But that had to be ordered specially and was considerably more expensive than regular silver wire.

Sorry for the rant... I'm still recovering from the slight heat exhaustion that I suffered from doing that mulch job on Friday! All of that... so that now I can finally plant my hostas!!! I don't plan to ever expand the beds... just want to keep them edged and mulched. And I don't plan to let it go that long without at least top-dressing with mulch. We'll see next spring how much it has broken down and how much is needed.

Cathy - buying it in bulk is much more economical than in bags, and probably easier too - those bags are pretty heavy. Maybe you can get your beds ready, then have someone come and mulch it for you?

Also - I have used some groundcovers in a few places and where they have really grown and gotten thick - no weeds! I have ajuga Black Scallop, some liriope, some mazus reptans. I plan to use some of these kinds of plants in more areas around the yard to help reduce the need for so much mulch in the future. And, I've noticed that there were almost no weeds under the canopies of some of my in-ground hostas that have really grown and are reaching mature size. So... hopefully, with more plantings of garden plants there will be less space for excessive weeds.

I have some Huechera plants started from seed tha I planned to start a new garden with. However I may have to use some as ground cover next year.

Ok ok I need more mulch. Do I have to pull the weeds first. My husband just used the weedeater to chop some of them up.

I would pull the weeds first as much as possible. And I would cut the edge of the bed to prevent the grass and weeds from 'creeping' in.

I'll start when I get off work when the heat goes down or early Saturday morning. I know I'll need a doctor for my back. Anyone want to come to SC to pull weeds?

Lol. I'd love to come to SC... to go to the beach, that is...

For newer hosta beds, where the plants have not begun to merge yet, a good hoe works well. Just don't waste your time on the the old style hoes you find at big box stores. Got one of these recently and love it.

https://www.amazon.com/Prohoe-Rogue-575G-Garden-Made/dp/B00ZJ8G2GO

But, I'd probably spray those edges with a little RoundUp to beat the centipede back. Centipede will be a continuing issue.

I hand weed every spring, pulling every little thing I find. Some years it takes me until the end of summer (ugh, like this year, too busy moving plants before it gets hot to care about making things pretty), but I do each bed completely one time. Then I apply mulch. I had so many weeds the first years!!! But not so many now.

I add extra plants and groundcover where possible. So it looks like this when the weeds show up:

I also switched to a thin layer of fine aged pine bark. I like the look and it might help with the weeds. Hasn't seemed to make them worse, so I'm going with it:

Terry is right... a hoe is a great tool. I got one this spring at Home Depot. I think this is the one I got: weeder hoe . The handle is nice and long, which helps me because I'm quite tall.

Two choices:

1. Yank or cut the weeds as best you can and cover with 4 inches of mulch.

2. What I do is yank the big stuff, spray glyphosate (Roundup) carefully around the plants and on the weeds killing them from the roots up. Cover with an inch or two of mulch.

In my yard it would take 20 yards or so to mulch everything 3-4 inches deep. This would $600 to $700 and an enormous amount of time and a probable bad back for a month or two. I know about the push by lawyers to sue Monsanto for billions. I suggest before you simply repeat this look at the EPA tests done over 50 years and their opinion that glyphosate is not carcinogenic......and yes I know about their ruling that Monsanto should do further testing even though it is repetitive. Monsanto is very willing to do this. You may choose to reject the EPA opinion, that is your perogative. When it comes to lawyers or the EPA, I lean toward the EPA. It has become an industry for lawyers to start class action suits with little evidence to blackmail companies or others into big payments to get rid of them.

Jon

Oh, and dyed mulch is wood pulp (the inside of trees) that has no nutritional value. Pine Bark (or other type of tree) mulch (available here and I suppose almost anywhere) is from the cambium layer (bark and just under) which provides nutrients to the soil as it decomposes. It is aged and turned over to get to a nice brown color with no dyes which can be poisonous (according to some, I don't know about that).