Knowledgebase

How to prepare flower beds for mulching? #926534

Asked March 22, 2026, 9:30 PM EDT

I moved into a home recently where the flower beds have been neglected. I want to mulch them in the spring/summer but they are full of grass, weeds, clover. What is an easy way to kill this off to prepare for mulch? Or is this just all needing to be hand pulled?

Baltimore County Maryland

Expert Response

Hi Katlin,
Any herbicide that you apply will kill any plants in the beds as well as the weeds.  
Manual weeding by hand or using a rake would be best. Then apply the mulch and see what comes up over the spring and summer.  It looks like you have some daffodils in there, so there may be other perennials.
Thanks for contacting us,
Judy
Answered by the Baltimore County Master Gardeners, Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied March 23, 2026, 2:25 PM EDT

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