Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show: Garden bed renewal – choosing plants and elements
Selecting the plants for your new bed is the fun part! Keep in mind your sun/shade conditions. The type of soil you have (amend if necessary). As I said yesterday, I added 2 inches of compost into the top 8 inches of soil. This added nitrogen and helps fluff the soil for better drainage.
Adding garden sculptures “pauses” your eye, as Jennifer Wolcott describes. She’s the creator of these grass sticks that sway like grass. They’ll be a nice focal point as the feather reed grass ‘Avalanche’ grows around them.
I switched out the cimicifuga (moved it) and put in delphinium, heliopsis and more! 😉
The oblong orb is also Jennifer Wolcott design. I planted it with Prairie Dropseed. You could also, as Jen pointed out, place a lovely low container inside the orb and plant with annuals for a yearly change. Below is 2017 – I added the Virginia Creeper ‘Red Wall’ just this year. LOVE it! Also divided daylilies and put in a coreopsis.
Adding eclectic signs and artwork is fun, but you may want to have a theme! Remember this is for YOU and for those you live with. Make it fun for you!
I discovered limestone as I dug out the bed and found almost enough to do the length, then I found a pit where they said, go ahead and take what you want! So I did!
Purchase plants in odd numbers. For example, I bought 3 reed grass and 3 cimicifuga. I planted 2 grasses with 1 cimi and 2 cimi’s with 1 grass. Your eye appreciates odd numbers better (generally speaking)
I bought all those plants, the garden sculptures, the compost, the mulch and the lumber for the garden box for just under $500. An inexpensive way to renew your garden. The bed is about 20 feet long and varies from 3 to 5 feet in depth. I’ve spent more since then, because I love buying plants and switching things up!!
And then here’s the front…. 2012 vs 2017. Keep in mind, my daisies and coneflowers in the front aren’t blooming yet. The Russian sage will bloom later too…
