Your landscape beds are meant to add aesthetic appeal and enjoyment to your Northern Virginia home. But weeds creeping into those beds can really start to damage the overall look of your property. Weeds can quickly start to fill in open spots in your plant beds and even begin competing with your flowers for things like oxygen, nutrients, and water.

Unfortunately, the battle between you and your weeds can feel like a losing one. It may feel as though you just weeded only to see them pop back up in no time. We understand how frustrating this can be.

Ideally, you’d like to know how to prevent weeds in flower beds in the first place so that you don’t even have to deal with them. But if you’re already fighting weeds, you likely want to know how to kill weeds in a flower bed.

How can you effectively address weeds so that they don’t keep taking over your precious beds?

In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about tackling weeds. We believe you deserve to enjoy a beautiful landscape without all the weedy hassles.

Understanding How Weeds Grow

Before we talk about how to stop weeds from growing in flower beds, it helps to know how they grow and spread in the first place. The truth is, it does not take much for weeds to spread. Many weeds are prolific in spreading once in a landscape.

A single weed plant can put out thousands of seeds, some even propelling seeds 10 or more feet! Something as simple as a gust of wind can carry weed seeds from your neighbor’s lawn into plant beds.

Once weeds take root, they can grow aggressively. Many weeds have strong root systems that make them difficult to get rid of.

Of course, weeds can also creep into your plant beds from your own lawn, as well. If you aren’t effectively addressing weeds in the lawn, they are only going to grow and spread (and that could take them right into the plant beds).

Weeds can spread in other ways as well. Even wild animals that have passed through, including birds, can drop weed seeds from other places into your landscaping.

Any time you turn up your soil in your landscaping bed (perhaps when planting new flowers) you can also stimulate weed growth. This is because there may be weed seeds in the soil that are too deep to grow. But as soon as you unearth these seeds, and they’re in warmer soil where conditions are ripe for growth, they can start to germinate.
Because you cannot prevent these natural occurrences from happening, you must instead stay on top of weed control.

How to Stop Weeds from Growing in Flower Beds

There are a few steps that you can take to stop weeds from growing in flower beds.

Proper Edging

One way to keep weeds from spreading from your lawn into your plant bed is to perform edging. A well-defined edge around your plant beds will help to create some delineation between your flower beds and your lawn. This can provide a physical barrier that is a bit more challenging for weeds to cross.

Of course, even better is to make an effort to avoid weeds in your lawn in the first place (so that they can’t creep into your plant beds). Using a professional lawn care program with effective weed control is the best practice. If there are minimal weeds in your lawn, they aren’t going to spread into your plant beds.

But as you know, some weeds are going to persist and grow no matter what you do. Weeds can be incredibly persistent and stopping them is no simple feat.

Keep Up with Regular Weeding

Because weeds can be so persistent, keeping up with weeding is key.

For many weeds, getting in the plant bed and hand-pulling them can be an effective way to kill weeds in a flower bed. Regular weeding will also boost the overall aesthetics of your plant beds by eliminating the eyesore of ugly weeds. A property with weed-free plant beds is automatically going to have a lot more curb appeal.

The best way to hand-pull a weed is to grab the weed by the base and be sure to pull out the roots. Many weeds will break off with the roots still intact, so you may need to dig them out.

The problem is, most people don’t like weeding.

We get it. Weeding can feel like a back-breaking chore and it’s simply not the way that most people want to spend their weekends. This is why you might want to consider a professional weeding program.

By having this service performed professionally, on a regular basis, you’re going to save yourself a tremendous amount of time and energy. We find that homeowners often underestimate how long weeding will take. They assume they can get all of their weeds pulled in an hour. Several hours later they may start to wish they’d left the task in the hands of a professional.

Use Weed Controls When Hand-Pulling isn’t Effective

Unfortunately, the same weeds can keep returning if it isn’t pulled at the root. While the goal is always to pull the root, this isn’t always possible. Many weeds have deep roots but brittle stems, making them snap off easily. When dealing with a plant bed that has hundreds of weeds, it’s not possible to dig each one out.
In addition to hand-pulling, professional weeding services should also include the use of professional weed control products.

At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, we don’t just blanket the area. We take a targeted approach, hitting the heavy weed areas in order to reduce the likelihood of the weeds making a quick return.

Choosing a Comprehensive Weeding Program in Alexandria, Arlington, or Springfield, VA

If you want to stop weeds from growing in flower beds, you need to choose a comprehensive weeding program that includes a combination of hand-pulling as well as professional weed controls.

We understand that tackling weeds in your plant beds on your own can feel like a daunting task. It’s one of those chores that you may want to keep putting off. But that usually just means more weeds keep growing.

By choosing a weed control professional in Alexandria, Arlington, and Springfield, VA who can handle your weeding services for you, you’ll not only wind up with beautiful plant beds but you’ll be left with a lot less hassle, as well.

At the end of the day, you have better things to be doing than to be spending your nights or weekends pulling up weeds! With this annoying task handled for you, you’re free to use your time the way you really want to, while still having a weed-free property that you can be proud to show off.

Are you ready to give up your landscaping worries at your Alexandria, Arlington, or Springfield, VA home? If so, request your consultation, get your customized plan, and relax as you get the royal treatment.