My main goal is to improve my soil and to find a way to control weeds. My garden beds were created by a professional landscaper who decided to use the existing soil which is clay based with a thin layer of topsoil. It is hard as a rock in places. My plan is to build garden edging to raise the beds and bring in new topsoil. I didn't get much done before the hot weather and I am now waiting until autumn. I will probably only get half of it done this year.
In regard to the weeds, I have been trying different mulches over that last couple of years and both have reduced flowering significantly. This year I am going to have no mulch and just pull out weeds when I can. Next year I hope to buy a mulcher and start making my own mulch from removed plant material.
Last year I decided to only buy 3 or 4 irises a year and to cull at least that amount. I managed to stick to this goal.
