Since the last time I wrote, I continue to get excited looking at my new daylily bed, however, I've been having a great deal of trouble with invasive weeds. Hindsight, being 20/20, I should have built a raised bed, which I think my future beds will probably end up being. I like the look of no borders, which in my opinion appear more natural, and blend in better with the landscape. But, this doesn't solve the present problem. I considered adding another layer of mulch, but wind-blown seeds eagerly take root so quickly, and honestly, I don't think I can physically handle spreading a couple truckloads of heavy mulch.
After much thought, I decided to put down a layer of newspapers, and topped it off with several inches of pine straw. I have found pine straw available in bales at my local Home Depot, at an affordable price compared to the cost of mulch. Two to three sheets of newspapers, so far, seem to be doing the trick. In addition, I encircled the plants leaving what I hope will be enough growing space for potential new fans. In fact, the newspapers do not seem to hamper the growth of new shoots. I am also pleased with how well the newspaper is keeping the weeds down!
Thankfully, after nearly eight hours the job was accomplished. I have to tell you - the bending, squatting, and stooping painfully wrecked havoc with my back and legs. Of course, for days afterwards, my sore muscles were not so forgiving!
I recovered, and you can only imagine my excitement over seeing new fans coming up in the following days! So far, I have been extremely pleased with the look of the pine straw. As I mentioned, it also seems to be doing a good job of deterring weeds.
There is nothing like a cup of coffee in the morning while I stare at my daylily beds! The plants are growing very well, and I particularly enjoy how nicely they show up against the pine straw, which incidentally, turns a nice shade of red at this time of day.
...Sore legs and all, I'm obviously hooked!!! What can I say?
Until next time, have fun gardening.
John
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteThe newspaper/pine straw application has been working well for me too the past couple of months. I personally think the pine straw looks better than mulch. A few weeds appear to make it through the newspaper but they easily pull out. Also, I haven't noticed the millions of seeds germinating like I did the last time I used mulch. Good luck!