Problems with weeds are nothing new. Back in the day Thomas Fuller complained that “Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there”. While some people can enjoy the bright yellow flowers of the dandelion others will curse the fact that as soon as you remove one another seems to appear. However there are ways you can reduce the problem as Benjamin Vogt explains in his article which I found on the Houzz website.

Our gardens will always have unwanted plants that alter the aesthetic as single specimens or that choke out desired plants. A weed could be an annual that won?t spread far or it could be an aggressive colonizer, which is why it?s important to identify weeds quickly.

Here are six reasons why you might have too many weeds, like this dandelion, and what you can do to prevent them.

Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC

A thickly planted garden leaves little room for weeds to establish.
Not enough plants. When you walk in a forest, woodland or natural lakeside environment, do you see different layers with lots of vegetation, or a few of the same plant dotted in the landscape? Likely, it?s the former. Nature desires rich layers and no fertile space left unfilled.
Let?s use more plants in our gardens. Ground-layer plants and matrix planting fill in the low gaps so that weed seedlings can?t get a foothold. Midlayer plants like taller grasses and thick flowering perennials shade the soil. Shrubs and trees of various sizes round out the design. Not only will these layers, working together, compete well against weeds, but they also will present a lush, attractive garden all year.

Groundswell Design Group Inc.

Using less wood mulch decreases ideal habitat for weed growth.
Too much mulch. Mulch can help regulate soil temperatures and compete with weeds, but mulch also tends to keep plants at a permanent establishment phase.
Plants love to touch and communicate, their roots and leaves sharing vital information and resources ? not to mention working in concert to battle weeds. A swath of mulch is actually an inviting open space for weed invasion, because there?s nothing nature wants to do more than fill in the gaps.