We inherited a large (about 400sf), steeply sloped bed in front of our house when we purchased it last year. This bed was full of mugwort (and other weeds) and old weed barrier cloth and plastic, and I finally decided to tackle the enormous job of removing all of it today. WHAT A NIGHTMARE. The fabric was on top of the plastic and both layers had slid about halfway down the hill, creating millions of little folds in which a bazillion pill bugs had nested. The mugwort had grown through everything, so we basically had to lift the weeds and the fabric/plastic as one piece - back breaking! It took DH and I over 6 hours (and much cursing of the former owners), but we finally got rid of it all.

Sadly, many of the desirable plants in this bed had gotten choked out by the weeds and fabric, but I think I will be able to save several large itea virginicas, as well as one poorly sited but still healthy-looking rhododendron. I hope the neighbors like the look of mulch, because there's going to be a lot of it until I can get some new plants in there!

Anyway, to anyone who is considering putting this stuff down, I have just one thing to say: DON'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! End rant. I feel much better now!!!!!!!