We would all like to have weed-free gardens, but we would certainly settle for almost weed-free beds with the right type of maintenance and plantings.

Maintenance should, I believe, be carried out on an as and when required basis; with this in mind and knowing that weeds don't have a day off, it is essential that beds are given attention on a regular basis to the point of being a weekly exercise.

There is an old saying that if you weed when no weeds are present you will never get any weeds!

I prefer using a Dutch hoe for weeding, as it is easy to push through the soil literally breaking the surface of the soil with the result no weeds are allowed to germinate to any size before being 'knocked down'.

Once weeds are allowed to establish, and especially short-lived weeds which produce flowers and thereafter seed in a short period of time, weed dispersal leads to weed growth. There is a saying, one year's seeding is seven years weeding, and how true this turns out to be!

Weed control is an all year round exercise, we have cool season and warm season weeds and often they overlap, therefore, should be considered a priority, whereas mowing and pruning especially the latter are not of the same need.

I often see flower beds with weeds among the plantings being fertilised, of course the weeds relish this as much as the plants themselves. Clean the beds, then fertilise!

Weed control can simply be by the use of ground cover material in conjunction with accompanying plant material. The three component parts for a successful garden are design, installation and maintenance.

Design takes – or should – into consideration growth association, location and, from a client's viewpoint, how much maintenance is the garden going to receive.

By understanding how plants grow, when to prune, correct planting procedures followed by fertilising on a regular basis, the task is made easier.Weeds as much as anything like light, and the number of gardens I see on a daily basis with an abundance of bare soil, and plants dotted at random in the bed is an open invitation for weed infestation.

To arrest rampant weed growth, consider the use of ground cover plants that will cover the ground like a carpet thus reducing the opportunity for weed activity.

The following is a suggested list of ground cover that I have found useful.

Trachelospermum asiaticum – Asiatic jasmine; a rambling habit can be used as a vine but is an excellent ground cover, with evergreen foliage and white flowers it makes a great splash of colour.

Senecio confuses – Mexican flame vine; also a vine, but again an excellent ground cover with orange flowers; will flower almost throughout the year if weather is mild.

Artemisia 'Powis Castle' – A low growing mounding ground cover with grey foliage makes a bold statement as a contrast in colour.

Ophiopogon planiscapus – Mondo grass; attains a height of 12-18 inches and spreads giving a carpet of dark green.

Senecio mikanioides – Similar to the above species but with yellow flowers and more succulent type foliage.

Lantana varieties – Found in ground-hugging varieties such as the purple and white form or the low shrubby types which spread quickly during the summer months.

Numerous varieties and colours, need dead heading after flowering and pruning back to encourage growth.

Pentas varieties – similar in growth habit to Lantana also with a variety of colours; similar maintenance required.

Dianella tasmanica variegate – Variegated flax lily; clumping upright habit forming dense mound, height to two feet; use as contrast between drifts of shrubs especially those with dark green foliage.

Ruellia brittoniana vars – Mexican petunia; several dwarf forms of this plant are available forming low mounds of green 'dotted' with flowers of pink, white or purple; the more common varieties spread rapidly and are excellent for covering a hillside to arrest erosion.

Russelia equisetiformis – Heath; a good partner for the medium to larger species or Ruellia, having fine horsetail like foliage and red flowers; also does well on hillsides to arrest erosion.

Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi – Grey green foliage translucent bell-like flowers create an interesting mass when planted together; height to 12 inches.

Leymus arenarius – Lyme grass; a rapid grower but good on banks and difficult areas, does need controlling as growth can be rampant in some areas.

Owners of new houses often find to their chagrin that much of the 'garden' area has been laid down with large boulders, miscellaneous materials and even small equipment has been buried and covered over with soil, these are contractual details that were not in the contract! New gardens will invariably have a major problem with weed growth as soil has been moved around and seed brought to the surface.

In such cases, it is more efficient to spray weed growth with a herbicide, then till the ground and spray several more times to control new weed growth.

Once proliferation of weed growth is on the diminishing side, consider planting and continue to weed but with time the plants will take over from the weeds and you can then monitor the needs of the garden on a more relaxed basis.