Newspaper for weed control in existing bed?

I've done searches under newspaper, weed control & lasagna and believe what I intend to do doesn't pose any risk to my existing plants, but can't take any chances. I've tried white vinegar and Burnout with some limited success to kill weeds and grass in my existing landscaped beds. However, since I have to put down mulch anyway I plan to just cover the entire bed with the recommended 8 to 10 layers of non-glossy newspaper, wet down the paper and cover with 2" of mulch. My question is how close to existing, trunks(e.g. Japanese Maple), shrubs, stems(e.g. hostas) can I go with the newspaper without there being a negative effect on the plants?

Thank you,

Neal

I'd say the newspaper can go up to 1" close to the stems, trunks, etc. But the mulch should be kept 2-3" inches away.

Thank you for the reply.

I wasn't sure if this was the most appropriate forum for this question. In my prior online experience moderators have moved threads to the most appropriate forum so I'd hoped that was the case here as well.

seems like a good place to me! :)

Someone else recently mentioned this approach in another thread, and raved about how good it was for their soil. If I remember correctly, they said that using the newspapers cut the weeds down substantially, and improved their soil texture, which makes sense if you consider that this is like a modified lasagna garden.

If I remember where I came across it, I will link it to this thread.

I found the link. This is in the soil and compost forum.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/765771/

What you do is put a little sprinkle of manure down first ...or some gentle fertilizer ....then a few sheets of newspaper and then mulch like pea straw or lucurne hay....give it all a good water in (keep away from the stems) and this makes a wonderful weed barrier that breaths ...encourages the worms to work the soil and stops evaperation.....after a little while the soil is wonderful .....the plants love this.

I have had success using cardboard I can pick up at walmart.....with decorative mulch over the top it takes maybe 2 seasons to deterioate and is a great weed barrier