
This hidden Columbine, took my breath away.
Having been out of the professional gardening world for around a year, and having just taken a walk through my wild forest garden, bursting with hidden flowers, many of them edible, I notice that my garden aesthetic is entirely, unshakably changed - for the better. There is a Landscape Imperative, and in this dying world, we gardeners have to meet it.

Wild rose.

Weed cloth hidden under layers of decomposed matter. I almost planted bulbs right on top! It was so deep I didn't even know it was there.
Have I mentioned, I hate weed cloth. In this picture, you can see what happens after just a few years. The fabric is buried several inches below the surface. It has become covered in dirt and is now a breeding ground for, you guessed it, weeds. Weed cloth just doesn't work! At the same time, it prevents your plants from growing proper roots, your soil from being healthy, and you from planting new plants without removing it or cutting holes in it. Have I mentioned, I hate weed cloth?

More weed fabric hidden under layers of dust, debris, and years of decomposed mulch.

This new topsoil should be mixing into the soil but is prevented from improving what's below because of the weed cloth. Worms, microbes and proper interface are blocked. The soil below becomes packed and depleted.

This is what weed fabric looks like when you first install it. Mulch will be placed over in an attempt to hide it, but will constantly slide off the slippery weed cloth.
That said, there are times when weed fabric is appropriate. For example, in high density vegetable gardens where your sole purpose is t grow food without using chemical herbicides or spending tons of time weeding. In this case, heavy duty weed fabric can be used over pathways and rows just up to the plants. Keep weed cloth clean of debris - this isn't necessarily pretty but it will do the trick. Otherwise, it just becomes a layer in the soil, and a disruptive one at that. Your soil still needs to breath however. Worms and other creatures still need to come up to the surface to mix the nutrients and organic matter around and to fluff up the soil. You might consider removing it for your winter crops or to add anew layer of compost. I have little experience with this high intensity use of weed cloth. Can anyone add their personal observations?