Thanks for the question.

Getting rid of weeds in a bee garden requires gentle and environmentally friendly methods to protect bees and other beneficial insects. It will be difficult to find chemical herbicides that would only kill the weeds and not the bee flowers. Here are some possibilities:

1). Manually pulling weeds is a bee-safe option. Do this after rain or watering to loosen the soil, making it easier to remove the roots. You could also use a sharp hoe to cut weeds just below the soil surface. Regular shallow hoeing prevents weed growth without disturbing the soil too much.

2). Spread a thick layer of organic mulch (like straw, wood chips, or leaf mold) around desirable plants. This suppresses weeds by blocking light and improves soil health over time. Place sheets of damp newspaper or cardboard under the mulch for added weed control. However, looking at your pictures and the size of things, this may be neither practical nor realistic.

3). A 5% white vinegar solution can act as a natural weed killer. Most commercial vinegars are 5%. Look on the label to confirm this. Spray this solution directly onto weeds on sunny days, avoiding contact with desirable plants. Be careful to use it selectively, as vinegar can harm any plant it touches.

You may want to ask yourself the question what is to be gained by eliminating all the weeds? Some of them may be attracting pollinators. See the following for further information:

https://fruit.wisc.edu/2020/09/04/managing-weeds-in-pollinator-gardens/ - :~:text=In established pollinator plantings during,or spreading by vegetative tissues.

https://bluethumb.org/managing-weeds-in-pollinator-gardens/

https://wildpollinators-pollinisateurssauvages.ca/2023/03/21/weeding-101/

Good luck! Please get back to us with any additional, related questions. Thanks for consulting us.

Thanks for your response.

Do you know what you planted in addition to the white clover? Perhaps you used a mixture of seeds? I ask this because if you planted a mixture of seeds, then it becomes very difficult to identify what is a weed and what is something contained in the mixture.

The grass-like plant is perennial rye grass. Sometimes it is included in bee garden seed mixtures and sometimes it is not. The broad leaf plant appearing in clumps is called Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris). It, too, is typically part of a bee garden seed mixture. Here is some information about it:

https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/self-heal

https://apps.extension.umn.edu/Garden/diagnose/weed/broadleaf/creeping/healall.html

In short if you planted a mixture of seeds, it will truly be a judgement call as to what is desirable and what is a weed.

Here’s my suggestion. Starting in spring 2025, sow seeds of specific plants that you would like to have in your bee garden. By knowing what you want and what you put down will enable you to discern the plants that are unwanted. See the following:

https://beelab.umn.edu/plants-mn-bees

https://www.kglandscape.com/pollinator-plants

https://extension.umn.edu/lawns-and-landscapes/flowers-pollinators

With respect to availability of funds, you may wish to contact the Dakota County Extension Office. They may be familiar with any county and/or state funding opportunities:

https://extension.umn.edu/local/dakota

Looking over what I’ve just written, I think the bottom line is that you should identify ten to fifteen different plants that you would like to have in your garden. Get seeds for these plants and sow them next spring. By knowing what you want, it becomes much easier to identify plants that you don’t want.

Good luck! Get back to us with any additional related questions. Thanks for consulting us.

Good luck.  Glad to have been of assistance.  Thanks for using our forum.