Last fall I planted a large shrub border (about 20 feet wide by 100 feet long) as a buffer along the road. I left room between shrubs for future growth and mulched, using a layer of newspapers covered by pine bark nuggets, except on slopes. Mulching with newspapers and pine bark kept the weeds at bay for a while, but recently they have broken through and are taking over. It is even worse on the sloped edges which I planted with peonies and oriental poppies and mulched with finely ground hardwood (no newspapers). On the slopes, the weeds are thriving and are taller than the peonies and poppies. I am in the process of removing the weeds, and I would like to use a reasonably priced ground-cover instead of or in addition to the mulch. Any suggestions?
