Gardening tips?

[BuffyMars]

We have a guy cleaning out our beds today. Taking out all of the dead bushes, etc. I mean completely cleaning it out.

I want to have a really nice colorful bed.

Anyone have any suggestions on what flowers to get?

I have never in my life been a gardener, nor do I know $.02 about caretaking. But I want to learn and don't know how to get started.

I would like to possibly get some flowers that have already blossomed and plant them.

But do I need to lay down new soil...

As you can see I am lost.

Any helpful tips would be graciously appreciated. :D

[zeus63]

You probably need to lay down some new top soil first. Then, you need tomake sure that the kindo fflowers and plants that you buy are going to survive in your type of climate. Usually when you are buying pre-grown flowers they have little tags on then that say what kind of weather they grow best in.

[GreenMonster]

my first hint would be to wait. It's still way too early to plant warm season vegetation. Wait 6-8 more weeks. As far as cleaning out the beds goes, great go for it. Never too soon to start preparing. You might even go ahead and start putting down some soil conditioners like potting soil or peat moss. It will save you that step 6-8 weeks from now when you start planting.

[mustang59]

First, wait until the soil is much warmer. Determine how much sun/shade the plants will be getting (morning, afternoon, all day, none...) and then go to the nursery and talk to the people there about suggestions.
I've found in North Texas that Begonias do very well and are easy to take care of and pretty pest-resistant. The bronze-leafed ones do very well in the sun, but the lighter leafed one need shade.
You might try buying a Neal Sperry (sp) gardening book. He lives in this area and has lots of tips.
It's all trial and error. When we moved here from West Texas I learned that the plants I used out there didn't work as well here because of the clay soil.

[BuffyMars]

Thank you very much! That helps! :D

[kaorder1999]

the cheapest ones are called annuals. They will continue to grow until the end of the summer and will die out and not grow back. If you buy the more expensive ones (perinnials) then they will grow back next spring.

[mustang59]

Every year we set out bedding plants. Last year I ended up having to hand water so much because of the watering restrictions brought on by the drought that limited use of the automated sprinkler system and the tremendous heat. I've decided that if the water restrictions are still in place this spring, and I have no doubt they will be, I'm only putting plants in the containers on my front steps and maybe the ones on the back patio. Much less work and we'll still have a little color.

[turbostud]

I just put in 2 new flower beds at my house. If you dont want to be weeding out the flower bed I suggest laying down a weed stopper. You can get it at Home Depot or Lowes. Its basically a net that prevents the weeds from growing while allowing water to filter down when it rains or you water the plants and all you do is cut a hole in it for the plants that you are planting. I would put in new top soil then lay down the weed stopper and then put about 2-3 inches of topsoil or mulch to cover the weed stopper.
Here are some plants that I just put in. Make sure whatever you plant is hardy to your growing zone. Checkout Ebay. I have bought the majority of the trees and plants in my yard through ebay. You can find alot more exotic stuff there.
http://www.bigdipperfarm.com/images/big_dipper/th_719-001.jpg

Link (http://springhillnursery.com/Default.asp?)
Link (http://www.wellspringgardens.org/servlet/StoreFront)http://countrysidedaylilies.com/assets/agapanthus.jpg