We take out the roots, bulbs and runners, not just the top growth. That is the difference between beds that stay clear for months and beds that are back in a fortnight.
No commitment. We call, you decide.
The short answer
Weed management is the removal of unwanted plants from garden beds, lawns, paths and paving, and the follow up work that stops them growing back. Weeds n’ Wonders provides weed management across Melbourne’s eastern and north eastern suburbs for residential and commercial properties.
Proper weed management is not one job. It has three parts. Existing weeds are removed, including the roots and bulbs that let them regrow. Problem areas are treated where hand removal alone will not hold. Bare soil is then mulched or planted so new weed seeds cannot get the light they need to germinate.
Most weeding jobs fail on the second and third part. Pulling the tops off looks finished on the day and the garden is back to where it started within a fortnight.
Beds and lawn after a weeding visit. Our work, our photo.
What you get
Beds, lawn edges, gravel, paving joints and driveway cracks.
Oxalis bulbils and onion weed bulbs lifted whole rather than snapped off, so they do not divide and return.
Where hand removal will not hold, we treat the area so it does not simply return.
Your green bin first, then we bag and take the rest at $8 a bag. Nothing is left in a pile to seed by the fence.
We tell you what is going to come back, when, and what will stop it.
Method
Neither method works everywhere. The right approach depends on where the weed is growing and what is growing next to it.
| Situation | What works | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Weeds through garden beds and near plants you want to keep | Hand removal, plus spraying where safe | Hand removal avoids drift near the plants you want to keep. Where it is safe to spray, it keeps beds clear for longer than hand removal alone. |
| Bulb weeds such as oxalis and onion weed | Careful hand lifting, and spraying where safe | Snapping the top off leaves the bulb behind and multiplies the problem. Oxalis in particular is very hard to remove by hand alone. |
| Weeds in paving joints, gravel and driveway cracks | Targeted treatment | Roots run under hard surfaces where hand pulling cannot reach. |
| Broadleaf weeds through a lawn, such as bindii and clover | Selective treatment | Kills the weed without killing the lawn around it. |
| Large bare or neglected areas | Clearing then mulching | Removal alone leaves open soil, which fills with new weeds within weeks. |
Tell us if you would rather we did not use any chemical treatment at all. Plenty of clients ask for hand removal only, particularly with children, pets or vegetable beds. We will work that way and tell you honestly what it means for how often you will need us.
Local knowledge
Melbourne gardens have a fairly predictable set of problem weeds, and each one has a season when it is worth attacking.
| Weed | Where it shows up | When it is worst | What actually works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxalis, also called soursob | Garden beds and lawn edges | Present year round, strongest autumn through spring | Very hard to remove entirely. Careful lifting of the bulbils, and spraying where it is safe to do so, is usually the most reliable approach. Mulch heavily afterwards. |
| Bindii, also called jo jo | Lawns, especially thin or compacted ones | Germinates in autumn, prickles in spring | Selective treatment in winter, well before the seed heads harden. Once you can feel it underfoot it can still be removed as it appears, though catching it early is far easier. |
| Onion weed | Beds, borders and lawn edges | Cooler months | Digging out the bulb. Anything less and it returns from underground. |
| Wandering dude, also called wandering trad | Shaded, damp areas, garden beds and under shrubs | Year round, worst in humid spells | Complete removal of every stem fragment. Any piece left behind roots again. |
| Couch grass running into beds | Bed edges next to lawn | Warm months | Very difficult to eliminate once established. Tracing and lifting the runners, plus a clean physical edge, keeps it out of the beds rather than removing it for good. |
| Dandelion and catsear | Lawns and gravel | Spring and autumn | Removing the full taproot. Snapping the crown off guarantees it regrows. |
| Capeweed | Thin lawns and neglected ground | Late winter into spring | Removal before it flowers, then thickening the lawn so it has nowhere to establish. |
| Chickweed and clover | Beds and lawns | Cooler, wetter months | Removal plus mulch. Both are signals that the soil is bare or the lawn is thin. |
If your weeds are not on this list, send us a photo. We will tell you what it is and what it takes to get rid of it.
The pattern
Weeds return for three reasons, and none of them are about how hard you worked.
Oxalis, onion weed and dandelion all regrow from what is left underground. Pulling the top off a bulb weed does not remove it. It divides it.
Weed seeds need light to germinate. Open soil between plants is an invitation, and it will always be taken. Once a weed has seeded it starts spreading, which is why catching it before that point matters.
Every weed has a window. Treat bindii through autumn and winter and it is dealt with before it prickles. By spring it has usually seeded, so it takes longer to bring under control and is worth catching as it appears.
This is why we mulch beds after clearing them and why most clients move to a regular visit. A weeded and mulched bed stays clear for months. A weeded bare bed is back within weeks.
Rhythm
Most Melbourne gardens hold well on a visit every four weeks. That is often enough to catch weeds before they seed, which is what stops the problem compounding.
Gardens that have been left for a while usually need a bigger first visit to reset them, then settle into the regular rhythm. Overgrown is a normal starting point for us, not a problem.
Through the growing season some gardens want us more often. We will tell you if yours is one of them rather than leaving you to work it out.
Pricing
We charge $180 an hour, with a $180 minimum for a visit. With two gardeners working together, we can cover more ground efficiently, combining hand weeding with targeted treatment where appropriate. We work out what is achievable in the time on the visit, because nobody can price a garden properly from a description.
Get a call back and we will walk the garden, tell you exactly what it needs, and confirm the cost with you before any work starts. If it is not for you, there is nothing to pay and nothing to sign.
Before and after
Real weeding jobs in Melbourne gardens. Every photo is our own work.
Weed management in Melbourne. Overgrown beds cleared to the root, weeded and mulched to hold.
Paving and beds weeded. Weeds cleared from between the pavers and out of the beds.
Reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 on Google.
Service areas
Weeds n’ Wonders provides weeding and weed management in the following suburbs.
Weeding in Kew
Weeding in Camberwell
Weeding in Hawthorn
Weeding in Balwyn
Weeding in Ivanhoe
Weeding in Toorak
Nearby but not listed? Call us. If you are close we can usually help.
Related services
Mulch after weeding and the beds stay clear for months rather than weeks.
Weeding as part of a full garden visit, with mowing, edging and pruning included.
A thick lawn is the best weed control there is. Weeds only establish where the lawn is thin.
FAQ
Weeds n’ Wonders charges $180 an hour, with a $180 minimum for a visit, rather than per weed. The rate covers two gardeners on site, so more gets cleared in the hour than one person could manage. Pricing by area or by hour is unreliable for weeding because a lightly weedy bed and a badly infested one look similar from a description. We confirm the cost with you before any work starts, and the quote itself is free.
A weeded bed that is then mulched can stay clear for months. A weeded bed left as bare soil is usually showing new weeds within a few weeks. The mulch is what makes the difference, because weed seeds need light to germinate.
We use targeted treatment only where hand removal will not work, such as weeds in paving joints or broadleaf weeds through a lawn. Everything in garden beds is removed by hand. If you want no chemical treatment at all, tell us and we will work that way.
Yes, when handled properly. Where any treatment is used we will tell you what it is and how long to keep pets and children off the area. If you would prefer we skip treatment entirely, we will hand weed only.
Oxalis can be controlled but rarely eliminated in one visit, because it regrows from small underground bulbils that break off when disturbed. The reliable approach is careful lifting, spraying where it is safe to do so, heavy mulching, and returning to remove regrowth before it rebuilds its bulb store. Most gardens see a large reduction within two to three visits.
Bindii is best treated in autumn or winter, well before it sets its prickly seed heads in spring. Once the prickles have hardened, treatment still kills the plant, but the seed is already in the lawn, so it keeps appearing and is worth treating as it does. Treating early is much the easier route to a prickle free spring.
Yes. Where there is room in your green bin we use it, because that costs you nothing, and anything beyond that we bag and take with us at $8 a bag. Nothing is left in a pile, which matters because a pile of seeding weeds will reseed the garden it came out of.
No. Most clients give us access and come home to finished beds. You get a reminder the day before we come. Regular clients often leave a spare key with us if they are comfortable with that.
Both. Many clients start with a single visit to reset an overgrown garden and decide afterwards whether to keep us on. There is nothing to sign.
Weeds n’ Wonders covers Melbourne’s eastern and north eastern suburbs, including Kew, Camberwell, Hawthorn, Balwyn, Ivanhoe and Toorak.
Booking
Get a call back and we will clear the weeds, mulch what needs it, and tell you exactly what will keep it that way.
No commitment. We call, you decide.
