Weed Your Garden Less with Stale Seedbed Cultivation

The gardens at Great Dixter.

Many of us wish that we had more time for our gardens. But with the right approach, we can work less and grow more in a garden. Here are a few tips to help you increase your yields from a garden without having to work as hard.

Q: I have a garden that’s been landscaped and divided into different levels, with boulders dividing each level and a big high section/wall at the front of the site of these boulders. It’s cost me a lot of time and money to get the most out of the site (it was a very rocky spot in the first place, so at least everything was already here), but my problem is now with things like grass and weeds growing between the boulders – they’re all hidden. Is there any plant/moss or flowers that I can plant between the boulders that will stop everything else coming up, but won’t grow too big and hide them too? And how will I kill what’s already covering the boulders? KE, Co Limerick

Q: I have an infestation of (see picture) in numerous parts of my lawn. It seems resistant to lawn weed killer. Any suggestions?

When it comes to weed management in the garden, focusing on prevention will save you from hours spent pulling weeds. Mulch is the most common tool used to keep weeds out of your garden. By preventing light from reaching seeds, mulch reduces weed seed germination. Plants can be used in the same way to cover soil and reduce the amount of sunlight reaching weed seeds. When selecting plants for weed prevention, look for those with a dense canopy to shade the soil. We’ve rounded up a list of 12 great plants that will keep weeds out of your garden.

Add some sizzle to your garden with the vibrant and colorful Fiesta Hibiscus! Here are the most amazing Fiesta Hibiscus in Garden Ideas With Pictures. These stunning flowers come in various hues, from fiery reds to bold oranges and yellows, making them a perfect addition to any garden.

Rosa ‘Boscobel’ in a walled garden in east London

We all know what it’s like to come home from the grocery store and dig into the strawberries only to find them too bland, too tart, or too far gone.And when we get a nice, sweet, juicy batch we inhale them within a

Weeds – those opportunistic, unwelcome plants that can effortlessly outcompete your edibles and ornamentals.If only there were an easy way to keep them at bay!Wel

Gardening experts everywhere recommend that you test your soil before doing anything else.And, if your garden is suffering, you’re just starting out as

When we talk about native plants, we’re often referring to landscaping, but what about growing your own edible native plant garden? Native plants have adapted to where you live, after all, and unlike, say, your usual tomatoes and strawberries, native edibles have new flavors and scents to try. Meanwhile, planting edible native plants helps to forge a connection between the way we live now, and the way communities in the West have existed for thousands of years. “Just growing these plants is a way to tap into the continuum of time,” says Evan Meyer, the executive director of the Theodore Payne Foundation. “By growing edible plants, your garden can become a much more meaningful place.”   

We’ve all been there, the premature demise of our cilantro bolting into bitterness and a head full of seeds after an unexpected heat spike. But what if we started thinking about these “failures” as new flavor opportunities? One gardener’s flop is another’s feast after all. I’m talking seed-turned-spice drawer—yes, that downed cilantro is now your own hefty supply of gourmet coriander.