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You are here: Home / Decorating / Finish It Friday: Yard Improvement

Finish It Friday: Yard Improvement

June 20, 2014 By Karen Cooper 4 Comments

Happy Friday, everyone! For today’s Finish It Friday, I thought I’d show you what I’ve been working on this week: the front yard. After the pictures, I’ll share my tips for weeding and planting a garden bed like this.

finished-garden-bed - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

Because we’ve had a ton of rain here in Georgia, the weeds were overtaking the bed:

before-garden-bed-weeds - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

 

before-Japanese-maple-with-weeds - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

The first step was to clear the weeds. Once that was done, I watered and applied a layer of pine bark nugget mulch. Then I watered again. Watering before and after mulching provides plenty of moisture for the plants.

Japanese-maple-marigolds - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

I added some marigolds to the border of the bed. I think they look like marquee lights around the edge of a bed.

finished-garden-bed - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

 

whole-front-garden-bed - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

The whole transformation took two days, and included weeding the bed; pruning the Indian Hawthornes (just a bit underneath); planting marigolds, and mulching.

side-view-garden-bed - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

So, what are my tips for creating a bed like this?

1. First, do the ground work.

The first step is to rid the bed of anything you don’t want in it: dead or dying plants, old mulch, dried leaves, and weeds. You can do this by hand or with a rake or pick. Do this completely the first time or else you will spend the summer pulling up weeds that kept growing when you left them behind.

2. When weeding, make sure you get the root of the weed.

If you just use a trimmer or just pull the leaves of the weed, you are leaving the root behind and the weed will grow back. Make sure you get the roots out so that it’s gone for good.

Avoid chemicals for killing weeds. They are bad for other plants, bad for the environment, and may contribute to the killing of honey bees.

3. Water, mulch, water again.

In these hot summer months, watering plants deeply is the key to keeping them alive. Thus, once the bed is clear of weeds and debris, I water the plants. Then I lay the mulch and then I water again. This ensures plenty of water for the plants and the mulch will help keep that moisture in the soil.

4. Water in the right spot.

Do not water the leaves of the plant. This could result in the leaves being burned in the sun. Instead, water at the root or base of the plant. Make sure the soil around the plant is moist – that’s where the plant is going to pull the water into its roots.

5. Size matters.

When planting new plants in a garden bed like this, consider the size of each plant. Start in the back with the taller plants, then move forward with progressively shorter plants. Keep in mind their final, grown size as a measure for this.

I also consider the textures and colors of plants when planting a bed. I like a mix of colors and textures. In the bed here:

finished-garden-bed - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

you can see I have the height of the arbor vitae and the hydrangea, the reddish-purple color of the loropetalum, the red and green in the nandina, and the yellow of the marigolds. And each plant’s leaves are a different texture and shape. That provides interest and variety in a garden bed.

6.  Take care of you, too.

While you are doing all this yardwork, make sure you are taking steps to protect yourself as well. It’s hot out there! Wear sunscreen and bug repellent. Also, I wear long sleeves and long pants, even on the hottest of days, to protect against bug bites and also poison ivy.

Drink TONS of water. Take cover in shade once an hour to give yourself a break. If you start to feel dizzy or lightheaded, stop immediately and get inside where it is cool. You can’t have a pretty yard if you don’t take care of yourself first!

How does your garden grow? I’d love to hear what’s planted in your home garden and beds.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Filed Under: Decorating, Gardening 4 Comments

About Karen Cooper

Hi! I'm Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer” - I traded in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY adventures. Join me for DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organizing projects and tips as I transform a 1929 Tudor bungalow into our home. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.

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Comments

  1. Donna @ My Sweet Things says

    June 21, 2014 at 7:30 am

    Looks great Karen! I love the marigold border. A sweet pop of color! After all the rain weeds have poked up in my beds. I’ll be yanking those out this weekend. Have a lovely day!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      June 21, 2014 at 1:53 pm

      Thanks, Donna! You, too!

      Reply
  2. Michael says

    July 16, 2014 at 5:57 am

    These are nice tips, I was not aware that if we water the leaves, then it could result in the leaves being burned in the sun. Actually, my gardener look after my garden and he seems to be quite good at his job.

    Reply
  3. Ivory says

    April 20, 2017 at 11:10 pm

    Beautiful, and I know once it all fill in, it will be breathtaking

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer,” because I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. This blog is all about DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organization. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.




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About Karen

A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home. Read More…

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