renderblade, The key to getting rid of weeds and keeping an area weed free is planning far enough ahead and constant maintenance. I don't recommend Roundup, you don't need it. Weed eating is a futile effort unless your taking out the roots as well. So long as the roots are still in the ground, most of your weeds will continue to come back. You need to completely eliminate the entire plant: top and bottom. Depending on what "weeds" were in your soil that you tilled, you most likely brought up dormant weed seeds that were too deep to sprout and broke up stems (crab grass for instance) into smaller pieces where the nodes still sprouted. Here is my suggestion to you due to the size of your area: If tilling is the chosen method, then do so at least six weeks in advance, and preferably months in advance in order for the soil tilth to build back again as well as for dormant seeds to sprout so you can skim them to kill them as they come up. Do this a few times for a couple of weeks until they've subsided, then you're ready to plant. Next you need to mulch and mulch well (2-3 inches). This will prevent further sprouting of weeds and prevent migrating wind born seeds from taking root in your soil. If you plant vegetable seeds, you can mulch with a thin layer of shredded leaves or grass clippings or compost or straw, etc. When the seedlings get 3-4 inches tall you can mulch at a greater thickness and more as they get larger. If you had that many ants, your soil must have been too dry. Mulch will help keep your soil moist and the soil temperature stable. If you want to go the newspaper route, try Freecycle.org and ask for newspaper. You might be pleasantly surprised. There's probably someone out there (like me) with plenty of newspaper to share, especially if it's going to good use and getting recycled. You can also call your local newspaper, tell them what you need it for and ask if they have any discards. You need to do layers of 8-12 damp (soak them in a bucket of water first) sheet, then cover with soil. If you don't it will dry and fly away. But if you can cover with soil, or mulch, it would work. You can also try cardboard. Call local businesses for both. You can also try black plastic mulch, but it won't add organic matter to your soil. The issue with straw are seeds which might sprout and cause problems. It works great, just make sure you know what you're getting: When using hay or straw, you need to know your source and exactly what is in the bales. Hay and Straw Glossary A popular organic mulch, hay is commonly used to protect soil and plants from the elements, to line pathways, and to address various needs in the garden. What many people don't realize, however, is that various products are often labeled as "hay" at garden centers, but there are many different types of hay and straw that are commonly sold in bales. While they are easily confused, it's important for gardeners to become familiar with the differences. Salt hay Salt hay, or Spartina patens, is a grassy plant that grows in salt marshes and wetlands. Martha has long used salt hay in her gardens. It is useful for keeping weeds from growing in paths, preventing runoff, and keeping soil from turning into mud whenever it rains or the garden is watered. A layer of salt hay will keep soil moist and encourage worms to come to the surface, which will help to aerate the soil. It also makes an attractive path to walk on between garden rows. Salt hay is an ideal all-purpose mulch because its seeds won't grow away from salt water'so it won't germinate in your garden. Golden straw What is commonly termed "Golden straw" is either oat straw, Avena, or wheat straw, Triticum. This straw is a by-product of the process of separating oat or wheat seeds from their stalks. Golden straw is often used as bedding in horse stalls; because there are no seeds, the horses won't eat it. This straw spreads nicely, and the lack of seeds means there is no risk of it germinating in your garden. It can be used in the same way as salt hay. Wheat straw An excellent choice for straw for use in the vegetable garden. Lay down six inches in height in the fall then direct sow seeds in the spring. No need to dig. There will be a handful of weak sprouts from seeds, just pull them out. Feed hay Just as its name implies, feed hay is used to feed livestock. Though inexpensive and plentiful, it is not a good choice for use in gardens because it is full of seeds. The main ingredient of feed hay is alfalfa, Medicago sativa. It also frequently contains flowers and seeds from many other plants and weeds such as clover and golden rod. These seeds are likely to germinate, resulting in a garden full of weeds rather than flowers and vegetables. Soil Solarization is another technique you can use, using clear 6 mil plastic. It has been around for a long time. It's effective for those who have patience and can plan ahead. A drawback is that it kills beneficial organisms and bacteria in the soil. What I do is lay roof shingles over any area where I want to create a bed. Within two weeks vegetation underneath is weak and pretty close to dead. I wait until the soil is crumbly underneath, sink my spade in and start hand sifting and pulling out everything then I crumble it back in the spot along with compost so it's light and airy and never walk on it again. Then I'll mulch with leaves and/or grass clippings. Usually the latter. I don't do huge areas of space at a time. Literally just lay them on top of the grass and overlap them a bit so light doesn't get thru. After a couple of weeks and after a rain check to see if the soil is "friable" (soil crumbles in your hands). Length of time after a rain will depend on whether your soil is sandy, clay, etc. For me it can be 2-3 days in certain parts of the yard, 1 day in another area of the yard. When you lift the shingles, you'll see there is little to no grass and what you can see is yellow or white. Sink a spade in and lift up, then just get in there with your hands and fingers and take a chunk and pull out the roots. This works fabulously with bermuda grass because the main runner stem is in tact but the roots have died off so all you have to do is follow the runners. Sometimes they're 4 feet long. But they're soooo much easier to get out! Much less work than tilling and sifting. Then crumble the soil lightly back into the spot with your fingers. As you crumble take out out any weed matter and into the compost pile they go. This is the best time to incorporate compost or any other soil amendments. Now don't walk on the area or you'll compact the soil. I'll take out large rocks as well since we grow rocks around here. I've responded to "Wanted: Rocks" on freecycle.org a couple of times so now they're gone and have found use to fill holes under fences so dogs don't escape. The problem with tilling bermuda grass is that when you do that, you create a lot of little pieces that are not easy to find and get out without a sifter. If one tiny piece with a node get's left behind, it'll take root and take off and you have the same problem all over again.

Thats a lot of hard work you put into it and it looks neat and organized. If I were you, I would not be concerned about weeds and grass. Weeds actually serve a purpose, they mine nutrients and also condition the soil. Say you are in sandy loose soil. Nature will bring in weeds that have a shallow yet thick root system. On the other hand, say you have hard compacted soil. Nature will bring in weeds with deep tap roots that will get in there and bust up that soil. Keep in mind that within two years, the root systems on your trees will be well outside of the area covered by your rings. While I think that the mulch rings will keep your roots protected in year #1, I see no benefit in later years. Also, your watering system may not actually be the best set up. Tree roots spread out in search of water. If you provide routine water within a 2' diamater of the tree, the roots are not being encouraged to spread out and develop. For the first year, it should be fine. However, you might want to think about watering further out from the trees. One last thing, I would recommend pulling the mulch back from the trunk of the tree. You could cause the trunk to rot. This post was edited by poolecw on Tue, Jun 10, 14 at 11:42

Vera, You're scaring me! :-) "Big Head" is definitely going to be cut for flowers or the point before it goes to seed...most definitely...and then, it's getting watched real closely for signs of "bully-ism". Tiffy, The big leafed plant with the purple edge is Coral Bells Purple Palace (at least I'm 90 % sure it is). I did WS Ligularia "Othello" last year, planted it out in the fall, but I don't see it at all this year. I'm not sure if it survived. I did two other types of Ligularia this year, one was "clivorum" rather than "dentata". That one has a little sprout and I'm nursing it carefully (and afraid to transplant it yet. I probably should just go for it and put it out-- but out of all the seeds in the packets for the two different varieties, I only have one seedling.) PV, The shade garden is just starting to do it's thing...the white Astilbes are just starting to come out. I figure the shade garden will be ready for a picture in a day or two. I'm thinking of getting some white Stargazer lillies to put there and move the pinkish/orange ones to the patio bed. What do you think? Drippy and Rosepedal, Thanks so much for the comments :-) I do like that Malva...it's one of the things I can depend on popping up and giving me something nice to look at while I wait for other things to bloom. I have Mystic Merlin seedlings, but I'm still trying to figure out where to put those. I don't want to put them close to the Zebrina because I had Zebrina before, and it seemed to meld into looking just like the Zebrina the following year. Funny how that happens. (I hope it warms up for you, Barb). Linda

Nancy- I didn't think about it until you pointed it out but the tulips really are just in time for easter. Not a big deal for me now but it brings back memories of when I was a child. My dad really loved tulips and always had some planted. My mom and I always had to stand in front of the tulip display for in our easter outfits for pictures on Easter Sunday. I have always loved tulips as long as I can remember and I am sure that it goes back to these childhood memories. Christine- The tulips are the Scheepers Early Tulip Mix. When they started blooming this spring with the purple tulips, I was surprised to see that color. I went back to their website and checked again and sure enough, it was supposed to be a mix of hot colors like red, yellow, orange and blends but no purple or pink. But I like the purple in there, I think it looks good so I don't mind. The terracing does make it easier to show off the plants plus I can squeeze lots more in than I ever could if I had a flat yard. I am really glad that front yard space is terraced as it shows off the bulb disply so well. I had to look up camassia as I have never heard of it. Thanks for the suggestion but it doesn't appeal to be at all.