How to Make a Flower Bed

Start by digging out any grass or tree roots in your new flower bed area. I made the new bed in the very early Spring (which explains all that brown in the photo!).

We dug out to a depth of about 1 foot. Then we filled the bed with very well composted manure. Now it's time to plant.

Be sure to dig good sized holes for your plants. You don't want your plant roots to feel crowded. I like to open the root ball a bit on the plant. This encourages the roots to spread out and start growing.

Once you get the plants in place, bring the soil up around them. Press firmly on the soil so there aren't a lot of air spaces. Now water the bed well. And don't forget to keep watering every few days!

Read all the details about making a new flower bed over on Country Living in a Cariboo Valley.

I chose perennials for this flower bed because they come back every single year. They also grow fairly quickly, so I made sure to leave lots of room between the plants. This picture was taken about 3 months after planting.

If you feel the flower bed is a bit too bare, then just fill in a bit with annual plants. They will grow quickly but will only last the one season. The following year, the perennials will have grown enough to fill the space left by the annuals.

Here's the same flower bed the following year. See how much the perennials have grown and spread? One more year and I can start dividing some of these plants. I can give some away or start another flower bed.

We added a pathway and border edging to keep the flower bed contained and the gravel out of it. I love this pathway flower bed! It is low maintenance with just a bit of weeding needed.

We planted an apple tree in this bed too. If you want to plant trees read about how to plant fruit trees. There are a few tricks to planting these properly so you will get years and years of fruit.