First, my situation. In our back yard we decided we wanted to plant an assortment of florals and decorative plants along our fence (chain link). Initially we dug out the grass and put up a plastic border. Since then we've been fighting a losing battle with the grass invading the bed. We've tried 2 different types of weed barrier (the lightweight fabric that comes on rolls and plastic) but the grass just comes in the sides, lifting the fabric, or pokes right through the middle. We have a combination of Bermuda and St. Augustine that spreads like a weed.

We first tried the barrier alone and that didn't last long. We then tried the barrier again with bark over it. It worked better but before long there was so much grass poking through that we werern't able to keep up. Now we have a grass bed with some plants sticking up through.

I admit that I was a bit lazy and didn't dig out the sprouting grass each time I lay down new cloth so that could be part of my problem. Before I invest the time and sweat to dig everything up and start over I'd like some ideas for the best way to protect this bed from the neighboring lawns. I'm not opposed to using chemicals but I worry about harming the existing plants with something like Roundup for anything more than a sprout here and there. I appreciate any suggestions for the best way I should proceed to fix this mess (with the least amount of hard labor).

Thanks in advance
Ray

I suppose the alternative is to plant ground cover that suppresses the grass..

Melanie

I am sure this a little late for this year. You can still do it and your plants are safe. Lay down newspaper with mulch over it. It will kill anything under it. Make sure the newspaper is thick. 10-20 pages. If you want to plant in that spot just wait about a month and push the mulch or what ever you have over the newspaper, and plant. Cover back up and your done.

My grass has not come back in that spot all summer. Hope this works for you. Good luck.

Anna