Overgrown With Thistle

Question

I have a lot of this not just in my front garden, and as you can see it is so overgrown, it is hard to find what is in there, I do have a hosta that is in there somewhere that I think I need to pull out and put in a pot for the winter, even though I have not had to do that before, and a couple of other bulbs that my sister had planted that is also overwhelmed, short of having all of the soil removed, I dont know what to do. My mom bought weed killer, but I know that it will probably kill everything that is in there. What other options do I have? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am trying to get my yard and lawn back to a natural state, I don’t mind the white clover (I am planning on reseeding them into my yard) and the wild strawberries, but I would love to get rid of these guys. I like the wild look, if I had a lot of land and could keep it in one area, but I don’t have that choice. Thank you for your time.

• 
• 
• 

Answer 1

Using a selective herbicide this late in its life cycle may not be effective. If you only have a hosta and a few bulbs it could be worthwhile to remove those, then spray with a non-selective herbicide that will kill everything. If you have a weed eater, you could first weed eat everything down, then spray. Or cover the beds with clear plastic and weigh down the edges with bricks. Leave it for about six weeks and it will solarize everything, effectively killing it. These articles should help:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/weeds/post-emergent-herbicides.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/weeds/using-organic-herbicides.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/weeds/common-thistle-weeds.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/weeds/canada-thistle-control.htm