Chumasande MatiwaneOnce winter arrives, many garden plants go dormant for the remainder of the year. But weeds are a different story. As prolific growers, some weeds can withstand cold winter temperatures, wreaking havoc in your garden.
These plants typically emerge in late summer or autumn and survive winter by forming small rosettes, which continue to grow the following year.
Chickweeds
Chickweeds are annual plants that form a flat rosette that produces tiny, white, star-shaped flowers. Though these plants are edible and attract pollinators, they can be a nuisance in winter landscapes. These chickweeds thrive in cool weather and pop up during cooler weather.
Applying a layer of double-ground shredded mulch may suppress chickweed, but you can also try hand-pulling. Another option is to grow a ground-cover plant like creeping thyme that will outcompete chickweed.
Image Credit: Pexels
Creeping Charlie
These types of weeds are aggressive and can spread prolifically in areas where winters are mild. To suppress it, plant a ground-cover like creeping thyme or Irish moss in areas where creeping Charlie usually grows.
This aggressive weed will struggle to compete with creeping thyme in sunny or lightly shaded areas, so use thyme as a cover to starve creeping Charlie of space and sunlight.
Bittercress
Bittercress is an annual weeds that emerge around autumn and winter. If allowed to seed, they will germinate and grow until late spring. Often, seen germinating around the same time you aerate, seed, and fertilise your lawns.
Mulching your beds with a 2-inch layer of double-ground mulch can help suppress and kill emerging seedlings, or you can pull them out of the ground by hand.
Image Credit: Pexels
ALSO SEE:
Multiply your garden for free: how and when to divide perennials
Feature Image: Pexels
