Currently a large part of the garden is white plastic topped by stones (perhaps from your place Gorden)
We're not sure how long it's been down , but triffids are popping up everywhere. Also the soil directly underneath it is a very dry clay which needs moisture. It's helps friendly worms wander about and aerate the soil
we have started to plant within the stones and want to replace the White plastic as we go along. We feel the black fabric is better for the soil as it's more porous. Also, no light, no weeds