Creating a Planter Bed Spring2020Refresh

This Dear Casa
by This Dear Casa
10 Materials
$200
4 Days
Medium

With spring approaching, I'm starting to plan garden projects and looking back at past projects. Last summer I made a flower bed in our backyard and I've been thinking about what I would do differently. Part of my motivation was to eventually camouflage a very large cistern in our backyard using plants. This tutorial is written in hindsight, which is good for you, as you will benefit from my lessons learned! The way I've written the tutorial differs from the way I actually completed it. Before this I had never made a flower bed and I was sort of winging it as I went! I tried to make note of these differences, as some of my photos will seem to contradict my words.

The Before

Identify area for flower bed.

Once you have selected where you will make your flower bed, measure the width and length to determine how much of the materials you will need. The Vigoro edge kit I used includes 50 feet of edging. I made a curved edge, which takes more material than a straight edge. We have two very large trees in the yard, a cedar and a pine. With these trees in mind, I decided to try to create a woodland flowerbed and thought curves would seem more soft and natural. Consider the shape you will make as you plan for materials.

Not pictured: Vigoro Premium Composite Edge

Gather materials.

Once you have selected where you will make your flower bed, measure the width and length to determine how much of the materials you will need. The Vigoro edge kit I used includes 50 feet of edging. I made a curved edge, which takes more material than a straight edge. We have two very large trees in the yard, a cedar and a pine. With these trees in mind, I decided to try to create a woodland flowerbed and thought curves would seem more soft and natural. Consider the shape you will make as you plan for materials.

Clear area of weeds.

This task can be done however you like best. I didn't get the hoe pictured until after this project was completed. At the time I used whatever small shovel was on hand. But this Nisaku hoe makes weeding so easy and I wish I had it for this project.

Rake soil to create a level area.

Once all the weeds are lifted, I tossed them into a Home Depot bucket. Then I raked the soil to make the surface level.

Lay out weed barrier landscape fabric.

After leveling the soil, I put the weed barrier fabric in place. I used rocks as temporary holders while I rolled it out and then used the garden staples to secure the edges to the ground . To cover the width of the flower bed I placed two pieces of the fabric side by side and pinned them to the ground with the staples.

Place edging under landscape fabric.

As I rolled out the edging I used rocks as temporary holds until I found the lay out I liked. The edging was really easy for a novice like me to work with; it is easy to cut and easy to connect.

Use the anchoring spikes to secure edging by piercing a spike into the edging holes.

Hammer spikes into ground with a mallet.

After hammering spikes and nails to secure edging, trim off any excess fabric. I save my fabric scraps to line bottoms of plant pots.

Cut holes into weed barrier landscape fabric for plants.

The holes should be about double the width of the pots so there is enough room to dig. I've seen others slash the fabric so there are flaps to lift when planting.

Plant your plants in the spaces with cut outs.

So I actually did things backwards- I planted plants and then laid the weed barrier and edging. The first summer in our house, I wanted some flowers in the backyard so bad. However, before I could think of planting there was a huge pile of demolished house parts that needed to be removed. By the time I broke down the pile, summer was winding down. I couldn't wait to create a proper flower bed and I just stuck plants in the ground! Luckily all but one plant survived. I don't recommend this working backward method! When I got around to laying the weed barrier, I had to do major weeding all over again. Sigh.

Empty mulch onto the landscape fabric.

In the photo I'm tossing out the mulch by hand, but initially you can just dump the bag out on the fabric. The edging is a good indicator for filling in the mulch, just fill to the top of the edging. I left about 4 inches of soil uncovered around the base of the plants.

Rake mulch over the length of the landscape fabric.

After raking out the mulch, go back to fill in areas where fabric is showing. In the photo above, you can see that I laid out the mulch before I installed the edging. Why you ask? I don't really remember. Maybe I hadn't decided what type of edging I wanted to use, maybe I hadn't had time to go buy the edging. A lot of this project was worked on while my son napped and even if I was missing materials, I would complete what I could, and sometimes that meant steps were out of sequence.

Place rocks in front of the edging.

All of the rocks were found from digging around in my yard! As I was digging for various projects, I would set aside the rocks as I found them. At the time I didn't know how I would exactly use them. Once I had the edging in place I thought the rocks would be a nice compliment to the woodland theme I was going for.

AFTER!

The plants finally got the proper flower bed they deserved! The rocks I used along the front of the edging aren't attached in anyway. Some kids like to head straight for them and start to move them. I don't know if I should put in something more permanent. Other than that, the bed has maintained good condition. The weed barrier fabric is a great investment! It has saved me so much time. As the plants continue to mature I can add in some small plants in front, close to the rocks. I may move the hydrangea to another area. However, those tasks are down the road. For now, it's nice to have one patch of the yard done!


Thanks for reading! In addition to garden projects I like to do crafts too. Like this project made with leftover concrete.

Or this easy and sentimental craft.


Follow me on Instagram http://instagram.com/this.dear.casa to see more adventures in home renovation, home decor, and gardening.

Resources for this project:
Nisaku Stainless Steel Semi-long Triangle Hoe
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 9 questions
  • Jacqueline Wise Jacqueline Wise on Mar 30, 2021

    What did you use to make the wire trellis on your fence?

  • Jon49738188 Jon49738188 on May 01, 2021

    I have used leftover shingles, thick layers of newspaper, layers of cardboard cut to fit, old car floor mats, and anything I can find that is impermeable. The newspaper and cardboard are the most environmentally fave but the where would the other leftover things go? Landfill? I have had little luck with the ground over fabrics. Weeds still poke through.

  • Joseph N DeFranco Joseph N DeFranco on May 01, 2021

    Maybe you mentioned, but what did you use to spruce up your fence? Looks great!!!


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  • Karen Hyde Karen Hyde on May 06, 2021

    Looks wonderful! I would highly suggest deciding where the hydrangea's permanent spot will be now. They tend to grow without you noticing. I had one about 15 yrs old removed last summer and it took the sturdy young man 1 1/2 hrs to dig it out. It was about 7 ft high and 10 ft wide.

    • This Dear Casa This Dear Casa on May 07, 2021

      Thanks Karen! Not sure if my previous comment went through- 7 ft high & 10 ft wide sounds like a big job!

  • This Dear Casa This Dear Casa on May 07, 2021

    Thank you Karen! I haven't moved the hydrangea. As the plants grew in, I lost the desire to move them ha ha. Geesh 7 ft high and 10 ft wide?? That's a big job!

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