u/irissmooches

I'm on a less lawn/native gardening endeavor in the metro Atlanta area (GA, US, USDA zone 8a) and need some troubleshooting help.

Until last summer we had a local guy mowing whatever grass-like vegetation we had in the front and back yards and spraying anything that wasn't a shrub in our mulch beds. Eliminating this was my first priority. We do have a 12" maximum city ordinance we have to observe, so in the interest of not mowing every week myself, I overseeded this spring with clover and creeping thyme. They came in nicely, looked good, and stayed short. We also had wild strawberry, American plantain, violets, asters, and three-seed mercury come in strong once they weren't being chopped to death. I got a mulch load from a neighbor's tree and turned half the front yard into a bed with Catawba rhododendrons, milkweed, salvia, and mountain mint. Great first year progress, I thought.

Then June came and every crab grass seed germinated. Now I'm out once a week mowing the "grass" areas anyway and hand pulling it out of everywhere else. Other than herbicide, what can I do about it? Can I do anything about it? It's so aggressive.

Week got away from me, just trying to break even.

Last summer I finally talked my spouse into firing the lawn guy and letting me take over yard maintenance. At first I just kind of left things alone for a few months to see what would happen, what volunteers would show up without being constantly sprayed to death, etc. I ID'd one Virginia pepperweed that later went to seed.

Well this year the front yard has got to be 50% PBV (pepperweed by volume). The spouse is not a fan of a "weedy" or overgrown look so I've been hand pulling their little carrot roots.

Is there anything "prettier" that can outcompete this thing??