If you’re sick of weeds invading your lawn and making your garden borders look scruffy, then an expert recommends planting these seven beautiful plants to keep them at bay
There are few things that will ruin a perfectly curated garden faster than an infuriating overgrowth of weeds. They sap precious nutrients from the soil and completely ruin your garden borders.
While not all weeds are an eyesore, they can be a pernicious problem in your garden. Common UK weeds include dandelions, milk thistle and chickweed. These plants tend to grow quickly and absorb precious nutrients from the soil, leaving less for your precious garden plants.
Even worse, removing them can be a massive pain. Many kinds of weeds dig their roots deep into the soil, making them near-impossible to yank up – costing you time and effort.
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Of course, one popular option for getting rid of weeds is to buy a weed killer. However, these chemical herbicides often lead to further problems, such as damaging the surrounding wildlife.
A better option can be to prevent weed growth instead. One of the best ways to do this is to plant flowers that will cover a large amount of ground, like certain kinds of perennials.
Perennial plants are ones that regrow every spring and summer, unlike other plant types which die of at the end of the year. This means that you don’t have to go through the lengthy process of replanting them.
Gardening expert Paul Parker is the CEO of the garden retailer J. Parker’s. He advises: “A thick mass planting of ground-cover perennials can help control weeds by keeping the direct sunlight off the soil, which can cause weeds to germinate and compete for water and nutrients.”
Weeds need sunlight to survive and repopulate. Without it, they are unable to absorb the nutrients required to grown and will die off. Which means you don’t have to go through a lengthy weeding process.
The type of perennials you should choose depend on what kind of garden you own. Ground cover plants like aubrieta , campanula (bluebells), thymus serpyllum, and phlox subulata are excellent choices for suppressing weeds in full sun.
Meanwhile ajuga, leucothoe, and hosta plants are better suited to shaded areas. This is because they don’t require tonnes of sunlight to survive.
Before planting any of these perennials, Paul says you should prepare the area by removing all existing weeds. He also suggests adding mulch for moisture retention.
The added benefit of growing these plants is that most are also spectacular to look at, improving the overall appearance of your garden. They will also help in keeping your garden edges crisp.
