I hired a gardener to clean out the gardens by moving everything away from the house and move along the fence at the back of the property. The gardener put tree chips all around the plants that were moved and at the base/roots of the cedar trees. This was to make the grounds low maintenace. My question is will having cedar chips on the base/roots of the cedars prevent the trees from breathing and will cause them to die? Also the gardener did not place fabric in the corner before she laid the chips therefore all the ugly weeds are coming up through the chips. How would you get rid of these weeds now. I have 2 dogs that wonder in the yard so I have to be careful of what I do. Thanks
The chips probably shouldn't touch the trunk directly. Other than that I see no harm. Landscape fabric is usually looked down upon most horticulturists. Better to pull a few weeds the first year or two than deal with fabric woes. http://www.northcoastgardening.com/2010/10/why-i-hate-landscape-fabric/
Your gardener did everything right. I nwouldn't use landscape fabric either as it prevents the natural decay of the woodchips (which feeds the soil as they decompose). Pull the weeds or spray vinegar on them to kill them.
