I have rock beds that contain some evergreen shrubs, day lilies and various hostas. I get a lot of weeds in these beds and was hoping to apply some kind of pre-emergent granule that will help but not harm the existing plants. Do you have any recommendations as to what product I should use? I am looking for something that is safe for kids and pets as this is in the backyard where both play.
We’d all love it if there was a magic dust we could sprinkle around that would only let the plants we like to grow and not the ones we don’t like. Sadly, there is no such magic dust. What you do have is a product like Preen which will stop weed seeds (or any seeds) from sprouting.
https://www.preen.com/products/preen-garden-weed-preventer
This can help but won’t stop perennial weeds that aren’t coming from seeds but from an already established root system…like a dandelion for instance…and there are many other perennial weeds. For them, you need a spray like Round-Up or the organic plant killing spray, Burn-Out. The problem with the sprays is that they will kill ANY plant the spray touches so it needs to be used VERY carefully among desirable plants. It can be done but It isn’t easy.
https://www.bonide.com/trusted-brands/burnout/
It may be that you’ll have to do what gardeners have done since the dawn of time…get in there and pull the weeds.