My native plants bed is now dying off and full of weeds. I live in northwest Florida, and we have had very little rain this year. Should I mow it down and kill everything off with cardboard blanketing? It was beautiful when everything was in full bloom, however keeping the nutsedge under control was impossible. Also, the neighborhood cats used it as a litter box. đźâđš Any advice is very much appreciated.
by SnooPeanuts6783
6 Comments
Wont the plants come back? I think it looks cute. Work with what you have
I don’t know Florida plants but it sounds like some bees there do overwinter in plant stems and some plants there go dormant for the winter like they would here (probably esp with drought). So I wouldn’t count them out yet.
Iâve been looking into Matrix design to update my planting area. Â I havenât executed yet, but seems promising. Â Basically, plant low growing native grasses/sedges instead of mulching. Â That would solve your cat issue and offer weed control. Â As a temporary measure, lay cardboard and mulch then plant the sedges through the cardboard, avoiding the existing natives. Â https://prairieup.com/matrix-design-101/
I wouldnât completely restart unless you hate all the existing plants since youâll need to re-establish everything. Â IDK if youâre saying âdying offâ to mean their growing season has ended or if you mean that drought killed them. Â If growing season has ended, then find new plants to fill the seasonal gap. Â You can also trim stems to 1-2 feet while still offering some habitat, if you think the brown stems/leaves look ugly. Â Those plants will probably come back next year drought or not if they had established.
what are your reasons for wanting to kill everything off? is just bc you don’t like how it looks in this moment or cause of the nutsedge or …? how bad is the cat issue? sounds like its something that you can’t control so killing stuff off might just make a nice barren poop landcsape lol
I’ve had luck keeping cats out of my beds with this. Plants can grow through it, but if you have established plants it’s easily cut. Mulch over it and it disappears.
https://preview.redd.it/wbkza6re6vwf1.png?width=864&format=png&auto=webp&s=b8873cbf418079d794e57b28b10c70a33f45a3ff
This looks like my native planting down here in central Florida. I donât think you need to start over. Every year I fight the Bermuda grass and nutsedgeâŠthe Bidens alba and the Florida snowâŠand all the other weeds. I let some of the âweedsâ go and participate. Like toad flax. I love toad flax. And thereâs another one that is a butterfly host plantâŠkinda fuzzy and gray green? Oh! And the Virginia pepperâŠI think? I let those go until they are too unsightly.
I just clean it up as needed in the fall, weeding especially, but leaving what makes sense to leave until spring for the good of the ecosystem. I plant some things in the fall sometimes. This year Iâm trying more natives from seed.
Another poster had a good suggestion and it may or may not apply. Many of the tender perennials benefit from the support of a native grass or sedge. If you were to see them in a more sprawling landscape in a more naturalized setting, you would see the grasses and sedges acting like a physical support system for many of the flowering perennials. These grasses/sedges will also add fall/winter interest to aid the appearance of your bed overall. I would look into planting some of those in your bed this fall.
Starting over seems drastic. A garden is never truly finished. Itâs always a work in progress. I just encourage you to not be frustrated over the current state. Check out some plants at your local native nursery and see what is looking good right now. What is in season? The main thing blooming for me right now is goldenrod. I still have some liatris and tropical sage also blooming. It feels like now is a good time to evaluate how your garden looks in each seasonâŠturn your attention to fall and just work with what you have.
Remember that fall is a great time for transplanting and planting.