Since starting my gardening business this year, I've come across more & more 'garden makeover' gardens, originally beautifully (and expensively) laid out with pebbles, pots and 'water features' amongst the flower beds, which are now horribly weed infested ....
All these have heavily relied on the use of a membrane material before the pebbles, wood chippings, etc. have been put in place.
And I now have to sort out the resulting mess of weeds which have either surface-rooted on top of the membrane and penetrated through it, or have emerged from underneath. And it's a pig to do and I'm wondering about the long-term effect - seems impossible to be sure that all the roots are eradicated when one can't dig a clear area.
I know that membranes come in different weights, etc., but are they really any good, do you find, or are they, as I suspect, merely a quick-fix product of the instant garden makeover mentality?
I'd appreciate any thoughts or experiences, please, particularly of 4-5 years success with a membrane material.
Many thanks - Lishka