Cleaning Beds And Planting Perennials

Bottom two beds (before)

I hit the nursery and the DIY for some flowering plants for the front three beds in our yard. We have a dwarf Japanese maple in the top of the three beds and I really didn't want to plant anything that would distract from that. I also wanted to have the beds be some what low maintenance.

So I started at the bottom and worked my way up, weeding for a few hours each day. It took quite a while to knock they all out partly because I can't just pull a weed, I have to dig it out so I can get rid of the roots and hopefully not have to weed it again the following week. In the midst of my marathon weeding project, I also cleaned out a bed for bamboo (see most recent post) and also mounted a small offensive against the dandylions hanging out in our front lawn (since it is too cold still to use weed and feed yet).

The two flats of plants

After shot, this top bed was filled with grass

All three beds after weeding

I discovered in the process of it some daffodils and some hyacinth coming up in those three beds as well as some sections of ground cover. On the downside there were whole sections of the top two beds that had full grown lawn in them, and it was growing between a lot of the granite rock border. I had to pull the rocks out and clean around and below them just to make sure the grass wouldn't be making its way back into the beds any time soon.

With layout of plants before planting

After planting, and Lamb's Ear is coming back

After planting but before mulching

Once I got them all cleaned out, I set to putting in the 18 perennials I got from the nursery (one flat). I still need to put those pansies in and then mulch all the beds, but at least I managed this much before our storm this week.

What we think is a geranium (before)

Geranium with daylillies and tulips coming up nearby (after)

I also tackled cleaning up this one plant in a bed bordering the front of the house. I didn't do a thorough job on the rest of the bed yet, but it is on the list as are several other beds in the front yard. And this isn't counting the backyard....LOL.