My husband is enlarging our patio, and I want to put in some plants in a curved bed on one side. Currently, the area is all bermuda (plus a few weeds).

Will I need to cut out all of the bermuda, or can I cover it with newspaper, compost, etc. to kill it? The patio will be done soon, and I don't plan to plant anything until late summer/early fall, so I have plenty of time. I just didn't know if anything would really get rid of the bermuda besides completely removing the sod, and if it's worth doing the extra work to keep from having to fight bermuda in the bed, I will definitely do it.

Also, I am thinking of putting a bird feeder and bird bath in that area - any suggestions of good plants (perennials, small shrubs, ornamental grasses) to attract birds? The bed will be on the west side of the house, in some shade in the morning but full sun the rest of the day. I have small children, so anything planted must be safe for them to be around.

thanks...
Jen

Bermuda must be removed. I tried the other method but the stuff just takes over! It is the biggest weed in my opinion and I do not like it at all. After removing every rhizome, you need to put a physical barrier about 8" down into the ground and about 4-5 " above ground.

In my experience, wherever I have put a birdfeeder, the grass and plants die underneath it from all the shells (I suppose). It may be best to have under the feeder some gravel or just mulch and put the plants outward from there.

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