Landscape Bed Installation
Sometimes circumstance requiring major changes in your landscape can be viewed as bad luck. Instead these should be viewed as great opportunities to add interest and color. Today I’m at a home where there once was a large pine that was removed due to beetle infestation. This left an open void and large stump. Creating a new landscape is easy if you follow these tips. Remove current plant material before replanting the new bed. Any turf, like this St. Augustinegrass, can be relocated to thin areas in other parts of the yard. There are lots of materials that are suitable for use as bed edging. In this case we decided on 2 x 12 treated lumber to help take out some of the slope. This is a good choice based on the area of ground contact. Adding organic soil amendments as fill is a great choice . This also will help to create improved drainage for the landscape bed. Massed planting of matrix pansies and sonnet snap dragon adds splashes of color creating bright spots during the winter months. I like to use a little slow release fertilizer when planting. Mulching the area with pine straw is the finishing touch. The mulch creates a uniform surface maintaining moisture and helping to insulate the bed from colder temperatures. Gardeners should be ready when opportunity knocks to add color and interest to their landscape. I’m Gary Bachman for Southern Gardening.