Sorry to hear you can't garden the way you used to Pennyfarthing, it comes to us all. As said in responses to other questions about bark chippings on their own they will not suppress the weeds a membrane (not plastic) and then the chippings would be much better. Weeding the area before you put the membrane down better still!

Thank you MG. Perhaps I will have to think again! I hate seeing the edges of those membranes which often seem to show, and I'm not really willing to buy membrane and huge amounts of bark when I could be spending the money on lovely plants! Maybe increased use of the hoe languishing in a corner of my shed is the answer! I've just been reading about the 'no digging' technique as well.

If you can hoe then you have your solution... PM Bamboo for more info on the 'no dig' technique.

Forget the membrane under your mulch. It is more of a problem than weeds ever were. I feed the soil/plants then put down several layers of newspaper before I put down mulch. My bulbs grow through the paper and there are no ugly edges on show.

Thanks MG and SG, yes I can hoe but the area is rather large and I can only do it for short periods. I think I will take up your newspaper idea for the larger patch in the far corner under the cherry tree and see how it goes! Maybe regular hoeing will improve my waistline!!

Once you have the mulch in place it will cut down on the weeds that you need to hoe so it is a win win plan.