Marianne's Response
Weeds among ferns
I have a large bed of ferns, part of which has become invaded with weeds, large clumps of grass and goldenrod. How can I keep the ferns and get rid of the rest? It is mid April and as you can see in the attached pictures, the ferns are only up an inch so far. I appreciate any advice you can offer. Thank you. Joyce
Posted by Joyce Michaud on April 15, 2022
Marianne's Response
In this situation the best way to safely eliminate the weeds is to dig them out without disturbing the ferns. Another idea is to cover the soil around the ferns with newspaper and mulch to smother the weeds but not the ferns. You want to add larger spreading ferns such sword fern and lady fern to take up more space and crowd out the weeds. Looks like a nice start to a woodland garden. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti
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