Regaining Control of my Flower Bed...

Flower Bed had become overrun with weeds and needed a freshening up.
* Cost Comments:
The lion's share of this cost was from the mulch. If I had more time to dedicate to this project I
Advice:
Do plan your project. Have an object and strategy to getting there. If there is something you don't know regarding your project then either ask someone more knowledgeable or look it up on the internet. By do this it will save you a lot of money, time and backache.
This summer has been wetter and hotter than any I can recall. My front flower bed had become ripe for weeds and erosion. Not to mention having large dogs doesn't make things easier. They have a tendancy to relieve themselves on low growing plants and shrubs.
I had come home from work on day and realized that my flower bed had transformed into a tropical forest with a canopy of weeds a couple feet high in some places. I would pull the talls ones by hand but they would seem to sprout up reinforcements overnight. So I decided to get smart and consult the "all knowing Google" to learn about these weeds. I learned that they are invaders from the north, "Canadian Thistle". These prickley weeds can blow in as seeds and germinate quickly. They have an elaborate root structure that spreads wide under ground. This explained how they seemed to spout up over night after I pulled them the day before. I also learned that their seeds can lie dormant for 20 years and sprout up once the conditions are ripe. But most importantly I learned that they can be defeated. By using a herbicide such as RoundUp Extend, the weeds would be eradicated not only above ground but beneath the surface as well. Understand that since the weeds had taken over my flower bed I had to apply several applications of the herbicide. I had to make sure I did not spray the remaining flowering perinnials, (the dogs had already "extinguished" most of them), because the RoundUp would eat through the flowers. Once the weeds were under control I began to prune and pull shrubs. Placing a tarp in front of the bushes made clean up easy. The clippings would fall on the tarp and I could easily drag it into the woods behind the house. Once everything was looking neat and trimmed I finished it off with a fresh layer of mulch. I used a dark hardwood mix. It absorbs and retains moisture very well which cut the need to water down. This project took several weeks from start to finish. I could have easily finished it in a much shorter period of time but I only gave myselfs a couple hours in the evening or morning to work at a time. The summer heat would have drained me if I worked longer than that.
I will do a better job at maintaining my flower beds going forward now that I know what to do!
Materials:
Dark Hardwood Mulch - $0.00
RoundUp Extend - $0.00