The worst was probably the mailbox area. It's low on the priority list of areas to revamp, so I haven't put much effort into it at all. After the monster morning glories last year, I decided to go with something more demure this year and planted sweet peas. Needless to say, there's a lot of empty area, and it was all full of weeds.
The perennial bed along the driveway wasn't much better.
I had several perennials not come back this spring, so there are more bare areas in this bed than I expected, and the weeds moved in.
Last but not least was the herb garden. The dill went crazy this year...
and the sage and thyme have been blooming for weeks...
but the weeds were doing just as well.
Last weekend I couldn't take it any longer, and I finally cleaned them all up. With daytime highs in the upper 90's, I had to get started early. I worked 4 hours Saturday morning and another couple hours on Sunday. After I was done, the beds looked much better.
I'm not a fan of plant islands surrounded by seas of mulch, but it's not a great time of year to plant perennials, especially since we're in week two of high temperatures with no end in sight. Also, I live in the city, and I don't mind conforming a little to the urban standard. As long as my neighbors don't expect me to water the grass.
What a difference! Weeding/mulching always comes with such a feeling of accomplishment, doesn't it? For me, the trick is to stay on top of it over the summer since many weeds will start poking back up after a few weeks. Hopefully keeping on top of them will weaken them to the point that they won't return next year.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, the trick will be staying on top of them. And planting a few more perennials this fall to fill in the empty spaces.
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