preventing weeds around rose bushes

Question

Should you lay black landscaping cloth (to prevent weeds) around rose bushes?

Answer 1

I would recommend using a stirrup hoe to get rid of any weeds around the rosebushes. Remove all weed matter after doing the hoeing. Work up the soils a bit and lightly water. Put down some landscaping fabric and cover it with a decorative mulch of choice. All persistent weeds that start to come up should be easily pulled or painted with a small paintbrush that has been dipped in some premixed herbicide. Use a wetted but not dripping wet paintbrush for this application. It gets the herbicide right where it is needed without any overspray concerns.