Wild_Flora

Love your gardening philosophy. It seems to be similar to the one expressed in a saying I've always liked: "Don't fight the site."

That being said, often gardeners are dealing with properties that no longer have their original soils. Sometimes all they've been left with is the clay layer that used to be underneath a layer of topsoil. The only plants that will grow well on a site like that tend to be extremely hardy ones with long, powerful taproots. Although you might be able to find a native plant that would fit that description, most people find that such sites are quickly colonized by invasive non-natives such as dandelions.

As you point out, sheet mulching is a relatively easy way to amend clay soil and kill at least some weeds, including lawn grass. (In my experience, sheet mulching is great for killing grass and improving damaged soils but doesn't kill the tougher weeds, which can pop right through.) There's also a variation on sheet mulching, sometimes called "lasagna gardening," in which you pile the layers of mulch high enough to create a mounded bed. Being a deeper mulch, this is more effective at killing weeds, and it allows you to plant deep-rooted plants and plants that require good drainage, even on highly degraded sites.