There is no part of flower gardening more frustrating than trying to constantly get rid of those pesky weeds. The good news is there are a few secrets that expert gardeners have shared to make the process far less labor intensive. Flower bed weed control, like any part of gardening, is something that requires regular attention and consistent focus.

Flower bed weed control should start early in the spring as you begin to prepare for planting. The problem you run into is the fact that you create prime growing conditions and all those weeds love to set up camp in the loosened and fertile soil. This is why a smart strategy is needed right from the start of the growing season.

Before you begin planting, you need to do a good job of clearing out old weeds. Be sure to dig deep enough to get the weeds by the root so they are less likely to reappear. It is important that after you prepare your flower bed, you let it rest for about two to three weeks before you start planting. This allows for quick growing weeds to take root in the top layer of the soil. Before you plant you can lightly rake the flower bed to eliminate the small fast growing weeds that may have already begun to grow. It is important that you don’t dig too deep, or you will bring additional weed seeds to the top layer of your soil giving them a chance to grow. This strategy will eliminate a large percentage of the early stage fast growing weeds. Your flower bed weed control program will be well under way.

The next phase of flower bed weed control is to place mulch around your flowers after they are planted. Be sure the mulch doesn’t touch the flowers but put a nice layer around the outside of each plant. This will help to keep the weeds down, not to mention other benefits like the need for less water and maintaining a more even soil temperature.

You will see a lot less weeds, but some will still make their way into your flower bed. Simple pull those weeds when they are small, before they have a chance to get deeply rooted or overrun you beautiful flowers.