I have a flower & plant garden in my front yard- what can I change?

so does everybody else in the world!! but i've been 'gardening' most of my life and have used landscape cloth ( useless ), cardboard and hard wood mulch, a bit better; 'weed n feed' products ( expensive for a large area), a variety of temporary weed killers ( vinegar/soap/salt )... you name it, I've tried it!

I've found thru the years that spending 15- 30 minutes a day in the garden hand pulling weeds, etc. when they FIRST appear, EVERY DAY, is much more successful than 1/2 a day on the weekends ... and it also gives you a chance to see which plants are thriving, which need pruning, which need replacing, any pests that show up -- aphids, japanese beetles, etc., before they get the upper hand along with the weeds !

Wish I had a 'magic' solution for you, but keeping a garden looking good is not a 'one shot' deal... if you find one -- let us know!!

I planted flowers in pots and put some garden art in there too. I planted annuals, lantana, milkweed and some lillies for butterflies. All in yellow too!! Easy to maintain that way.

This may limit planting’s because it is more effort to create a hole, like former comments the black fabric is ok but not 100%. Old carpet is, yes really put the backing up the pattern/color side on soil. Mulch heavy. You will get some weeds that appear in the much but it’s manageable.

I put two layers of heavy black plastic down where I can,where the plants don't multiply. I try to stay with perrenials such as azaleas,flowering trees,etc.On these I border with the black material that can be put in circles that I make in six foot diameters.I use landscape gravel and river rock for mulch so it doesn't have to be replaced.On my beds such as mylilies,and other bulbs that multiply,I just have to bite the bullet and hire my grandson to help keep them clean,ha.My hostas get big enough they need very little attention,same with the elephant ears,cannas,and some of the other bulbs.You learn what takes the least work as you become old and infirm.I really love my flowering trees more and more.

I was gonna say I’ve always used wet newspaper. But I really like the rug suggestion. Facebook marketplace will have lots of old rugs for sale.