Has anyone munched with evergreen branches? I put some down, I like the way they look, but I'm wondering if as they dry, the needles produce an unwanted effect. I have them around my herbs. ellenr

Hi. Spraying that big an area could get very costly. You could suffocate the weeds with plastic. There's also another approach you can use if you have a LOT of newspaper and soil. Mow the weeds down as low as you can. Then cover them with about 6 layers of newspaper (wet the newspaper as you lay it down to keep it from blowing around). Put an inch or two of soil on top of the newspaper. Then put 3-4 inches of grass clippings, dead leaves and other composting material on the soil. Finally, put another inch of soil on top of the composting material. It works best if you do this in the fall so the materials can compost over the winter, creating a rich planting bed in the spring. I've done this in a weedy area, and it works quite well.

I have to disagree a bit with purple. What you have done is exactly what I would recommend. Tree chippings are the BEST weed suppression you can get. I use a thick layer on our acre of property, and have very few weeds. We go through about 40 yards of chip a year (delivered free), and the plants love it. You won't have problems with nitrogen deficiency unless you till it in, but if you are concerned, put a slow-release fertilizer such as osmocote or a slow-release organic fertilizer around the plants. Over time it will break down into beautiful worm-filled soil. You will learn to appreciate it over time, but you can topdress with nicer mulch if you wish. I would hit any bulbs that pop back with a systemic herbicide. Try to get any weeds out before they go to seed if you can. If you are not overhead watering, weeds should not be a big issue until the fall. Preen would be most effective in August, just before the fall rains, but I'm betting you won't need it with a thick mulch layer (call the tree companies for more!)

I would enjoy sitting there and looking at that beautiful yard too! Keep pulling stuff out that you don't want. Try to pull up the roots too. If you keep pulling unwanted plants before they form & drop seeds, there should be less of them in successive years but critters and wind will always bring some kind of unwanted seeds to any garden. Pulling unwanted sprouts just goes with having a garden. Keeping the area mulched will help reduce the number of unwanted sprouts too. When plants are dormant is an excellent time to add a bit more. Some potted shade lovers you might enjoy putting in the window box... Begonias, Coleus, wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina,) inch plant (Callisia repens,) Caladiums...