HI!

Haven't posted before and not sure I am at the right forum for these questions. If not, please advise where to post this..thank you.

Years ago we put our Koi pond in and half of the side yard next to our patio is our garden.

Over the years we mulched all of it and didn't let grass grow..that got old. So, we allowed the grass to begin and keep it well cut with weed eater. Of course some wild things grew also. Is there a safe weed killer to use around the pond? It's quite level and drainage doesn't seem to be a problem as far as chemicals draining in to the pond. I just want to rake in some weed killer of some sort to help the problem...wild strawberries and some others I don't recognize.

Also..I've recently noticed that vinca is growing well and does this crowd out other perennial plants that I might choose to place in the garden?

Any suggestions on border plants for around the fence..perhaps ornamental grasses that are heat tolerant? I looked them up and finding them is another story it seems.

Links would help if anyone has any....I just want to spruce things up this year and get some more hardy but less invasive plants out there. I planted my first roses last year and they did well. We had the worst disaster in Ky history this past winter with the huge ice storm. Seems that the roses have managed to get through..not sure about my hostas however. For some reason they didn't come back well last year and they were before that..huge. Seems the vinca has filtered around them and I wouldn't have thought that it would smother them out..but don't know.

Thanks so much...looking forward to advice as soon as possible with Spring around the corner!! :)))))