Mixed Weeds in Perennial Beds

A reader emailed me a question which I am sure applies to many of you.

How to get weeds out of mixed perennial beds. By mixed I mean you have broad leaf and grass plants in the same bed.

Example of grass plants : iris, daylilies, tulips, lily bulb plants, hosta

Example of broadleaf: mums, peonies, echinacea - most of your garden plants

In another post I will go into more detail about grass (monocots) & broadleaf (dicots) plants.

If your bed does not contain any 'grass plants' only grass weeds, test a spot out with weed killer designed for grass. BUT keep in mind it will kill your perennial grass plants. You can also apply with a brush or paint roller. I've put herbicide in a roller pan before, put the extension on the handle and rolled away. Drift happens a lot easier than you think and can hit your non-target plants. Another trick I have tried is to cover the target plant with a large plant container, like a 2 gallon pot that has that small hole in the bottom. Then I stick the nozzle in the hole and spray. Let set a minute so any excess spray runs down the sides and you don't drip it over the other plants. It may seem like a lot of work, but there is NO other way to get rid of perennial weeds than to kill them. You can shuffle hoe them out, but they are right back. There is no permanent solution, weeds will always find their way into our gardens.

Last week I sprayed for broadleaf weeds like thistle and dandelions that are in my iris & daylilies which are grass plants. So I was able to use herbicide developed for lawns and I am seeing great success. Likely too late now to spray anymore this year. I see I need to spray about 3-4 times a season to keep the weeds under control in my 2 main crops. I try not to get overspray on my good plants when I do spray. I have not noticed any ill effects on the iris or daylilies. But try this at your own risk. I have 10 acres of plants so just using manual cultivation is out of the question, I can hear the weeds growing out there!!!! Hopefully no confusion, you can always email me with questions.
ddenise58@msn.com