Most folks who have used the stuff will steer you away from any sort of weed barrier. They really do not work to any degree of efficiency and they tend to hamper the necessary gas exchange, water and nutrient penetration into the soil. If you want to skip the cardboard, then my suggestion is to remove the soil, then apply the mulch but skip any sort of weed mat/barrier. As to the termite issue......if your hedge is not close to the house (greater than 10'), then the cardboard is not going to create a problem. It won't attract termites but it could offer a satisfactory rest stop if they were present in the area. As will most wood based mulches. And the cardboard is a temporary measure anyway - it is used to smother the grass and weeds and should decompose in a single season with adequate rainfall or normal irrigation. If termites are an issue in your area, then you want to be on a program of regular inspection to make sure your home and any other wooden structures are clean. But using the cardboard or wood mulch in an area not directly abutting the house is perfectly safe. And far more desirable than using weed cloth!

What a great thread!! I have learned so much just from this thread alone in my research to plan Ficus Nitida in our backyard. Like everybody here we're concerned about the aggressive roots and I feel that if I combine consistent trimming, a deep root watering system with 24"x24" root guard barriers I should be able to mitigate the issues and ensure I don't have root problems in the future. I'm wondering if anybody has taken this approach. We're planning on planting them along the perimeter of our backyard which have masonry/cinder block walls separating the neighbors. They'll also be close to our pool. Pictures are attached. I'm looking at these products to accomplish this. Please let me know what your thoughts are. Thanks in advance!! https://www.deeproot.com/products/root-barrier/ https://www.rootwell.com/retail-store/shop/pro-318-case-black https://www.hunterindustries.com/irrigation-product/micro-irrigation/root-zone-watering-system

I have a very tall (at least 12 feet) Podocarpus gracillior hedge on 3 sides of my yard which serves as a privacy screen from 2-story neighbors on all sides. We have a pool, and although it doesn't break up concrete and is an effective screen, it is a MAJOR maintenance chore and I wouldn't recommend it, unless you like getting up on a ladder and trimming constantly. I would love to rip it out. I also have an Australian willow (Geijera parviflora), which is an evergreen, very pretty, slighty weeping, not a lot of litter, well-behaved-roots tree. This might be a good solution for what looks like a narrow spot where the neighbor's balcony is and where your concrete starts. I've seen them grow with either a roundish canopy or taller and narrower canopy. When choosing a tree, if you want a narrower silhouette, pick a young tree that's narrower. It casts light shade and isn't a dense tree like some others, but it will certainly soften the intrusion from the neighbors and provide some relief from the kiddies. Another favorite of mine which many people may eschew, is Nichol's eucaplyptus (or Eucalyptus nicholii). I have three of them and I love them. They are tall, as tall as my 2-story house, and willowy. They grow in very narrow spots and don't break up concrete. They don't get as tall as the eucalpytus you seen along the freeways (E. citriodora). The E. citriodora (or lemon gum) is also susceptible to the psyllid which is killing many of them. (I had a lemon gum which got the pysllid and a nicholii 10 feet away from it which didn't. I had the citriodora removed and the nicholii is still just fine.) Some people however, complain that because of the toxins in the eucalyptus leaves, they can't grow anything below them. I don't have that problem, but you might want to keep that in mind. They are also very difficult to find, but there are nurseries that can order them if you really want one. I recently had a large melaleuca tree removed because it was too close to the pool and was about to bust through. We are now naked to the world (or so it seems) in that spot. Rather than plant more of the hedge-from-hell, I plan to to plant a naturalistic collection of evergreen trees and plants that will act as a hedge, but not require the constant upkeep of a hedge. I'm in Huntington Beach, BTW. Good luck!

No point in having a conversation with someone who has an agenda which obviates any need to consider facts. Since you so obviously know so much about the state of Eucalytptus species infestation in the USA, which is in your view reason enough to avoid planting any Australian plant elsewhere than Australia because of the grave impacts on our local ecology, I will defer to your expertise and greater wisdom. Oh, by the way, did you neglect to register that I did mention the very species of Eucalyptus, both E. camaldulensis and E. globulus as being amongst the few that have weedy potential here in California? As to any Eucalyptus species ever having a chance in hell of becoming an escaped weed in someplace like Ohio, what is your supporting evidence beyond a Wikipedia citation? As to presuming that I have no experience with conserving native habitats or the issue of escaped exotics in the wild, you form this conclusion on the basis of what, exactly? Yet you continue to sidestep the very real issue of potential issue of gene pool pollution by mixing of selected "native" cultivars amongst local gene pools, and act as if this is a non-issue to consider. If you are going to walk the walk instead of just talk the talk, then "native" species should only be collected within their naturally occurring habitat for revegetation purposes, rather than planting out man selected cultivars from other parts of the plant's range, and often selected for their ornamental characteristics rather than those qualities that make them a good fit for their particular geographic range. As well, you failed to address the point I made about how planting out natives in already urbanized settings can not begin to replicate a fully functioning natural environment, the closest you can come is a facsimile, the original diversity of species is impossible to fully replicate. Therefore, as I stated before, it is more important, as well as more useful for the conservation of species diversity, to place more emphasis on preserving intact environments that remain, rather than play at recreating what was, in urban settings which have changed the hydrology, soil structures, sun and shade, etc, etc. Certainly no harm in promoting "native" plants for use in gardens, but to insist that only natives should be used is no more or less valid than other approaches. The only way you would actually convince me otherwise is if you did your homework, got off your soapbox, and addressed the points I raised in a logical manner, rather than resorting to bullying and name calling. I suppose that we also differ philosophically on the point of gardening and cultivating plants in general. I see landscape design as encompassing various methods with varied purposes. To the point that use of exotics does no harm to the surrounding "wild" landscape, what is wrong with appreciating plants much as an artist uses various paint colors, having a diverse palette to create beautiful effects. If...