Using landscape fabric is dependant on the type of landscape or garden you wish to create.

If I had my way and if it was practical, I would eliminate the use of landscape fabric altogether in all of my designs. Not only would this make creating the designs much easier, but would also be a substantial savings for my clients.

The need for weed barrier in a design is actually related to the type of landscape a client wants me to create. If a client wishes for a low maintenance landscape that they’ll rarely have to deal with, them most likely the design will include fabric.

On the other hand, if a client asks for original landscaping ideas with beds and borders that I refer to as "living beds and borders", then it’s possible that we’ll eliminate their use altogether. For reference, a "living bed" is one generally created with mulch and compost where the client actually works, weeds, replants, and replenishes the soil. In this case, landscape fabrics would only get in the way.

However, most of the designs we create are for low maintenance landscapes that require very little weeding and upkeep. And therefore weed cloth is pretty much a necessity.

Landscape fabrics can serve different purposes in landscaping. One is, of course, to keep unwanted weeds and grasses from taking over the landscaped areas. The source of weeds and grasses are either already present in the soil or are from blown in seed. If you use a good quality fabric, you’ll win the battle with that which is already present. However, blown in seed is out of everyones control and will require some attention regardless of the quality of barrier used.

Another purpose is for ground and groundcover separation. When using groundcover such as decorative rock, it’s important to lay down a layer of weed cloth between the soil and groundcover. Otherwise, the two elements will eventually become mixed and your groundcover rock will work its way into the soil.

And still another purpose is as an underlayment for pavers, patios, and walkways. This helps to stabilize and contain the leveling material as well as prevent weeds and grasses that are already present in the soil.

So whether or not you actually need the added expense of landscaping fabric in your project is dependant on the type of landscape or garden you want to create. Or in the amount of maintenance and upkeep you want to put into it. It’s not always a necessity.

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