Weed, mulch, weed, mulch. I don't use chemicals, I've always been averse to exposing myself to all that junk. So... there is only the hard way! But that's what gardening is all about. It's no fun to just look at it. It's the constant working with it that gives satisfaction. And weeds go through seasons. This year's weed to eliminate is black Swallowwort. Last year ( and actually, usually) it was Lily of the Valley. Ten years ago it was New England Astor. Two years ago it was Blackberry bramble. But Nature abhors a vacuum. Whatever you remove, something new will come to take its place.
