Yes, you can use cardboard mats...lay them out and place something heavy on them so they won't blow away. You can also use plastic (I don't like using plastic), or....get some straw bales and place a mat of two inch thick flakes ...using this over the cardboard would even be better... Water the straw down thoroughly to make it heavy.... It will take a while, but the soil should also be ammended afterwards.... You can even layer some compost in there somewhere and the soil will be ready for you....

I have identified this weed as Honeyvine Milkweed. It is a vine that grows similarly to morning glories which sends runner roots. This started growing in my front flower bed about 2 seasons ago. If one little piece of root is left behing 2 new vines will grow. I have tried everything that I can think of to remove these short of digging up my entire flower bed. I have even used a complete herbicide and all this managed to do was turn the leaves a little yellow but the vine keeps growing. Any help would be greatly appreciated Thank you

How often do you water your lawn? For those that doubt what I often tell anyone plagued by Yellow or Purple Nutsedge this, from Jean001as link, "Nutsedges are common weeds in landscapes and gardens in the coastal valleys, Central Valley, and southern areas of California. They thrive in waterlogged soil, and their presence often indicates drainage is poor, irrigation is too frequent, or sprinklers are leaky. Once established, however, they will tolerate normal irrigation conditions or drought." may provide some insight. Where I see these sedges growing mostly is in lawns that are watered daily. I seldom see any growing in lawns that are properly, ie. infrequently and deeply, watered.

Those are wild violets. There are a couple different ways to kill them depending on how bad of an infestation you have. If you have a lot of them triclopyr is what you need to use. Ortho Weed-B-Gon Clover, Chickweed and Oxalis killer is the stuff to get. I prefer the concentrate which you mix up in a pump up sprayer. I use 2 ounces per gallon of water and be sure to mix in a non ionic surfactant to make it stick. You will need several applications about 10 to 14 days apart. Keep spraying them until they are brown and dead. This time of year you will have to be careful as you might get some turf damage if the temps are above 85 degrees. On another note, this is for cool season grasses only. This stuff will kill bermuda. Another method that probably works best if you don't have a lot of wild violets to deal with is Glyphosate (aka RoundUp). Pour a little straight glyphosate in a cup and add some non ionic surfactant (baby shampoo or liquid dish detergent will work too) and using a small hobby type paint brush paint each leaf with glyphosate. This method only takes one application to kill them plus it really doesn't matter how hot the temps are. Once they're gone you will still need to keep an eye out for new plants popping up. As soon as you see a new one hit it with the glyphosate. They are extremely hard to get rid of but with some vigilance you should be able to reach a point where they are easily manageable.