spring planting notebook
Easy Weekend Project
Two people can install a new
flowerbed in a weekend.
Plants and materials cost
only a few hundred
dollars.
RIGHT
PLANT,
RIGHT
PLACE
No matter the
design, a flowerbed
won’t look good
unless the plants
are appropriate for
the site. Use a plant
encyclopedia and
read tags to make
sure you know the
following before
buying plants:
H a rd in e ss
Perennials and
shrubs should be
rated for your
hardiness Zone.
Find your USDA
p
4
- i HAVE A PLAN
Sketch out a plan, or
I
use our design tool at
BHG.com/planagarden,
and
make a shopping list Then buy
the materials before starting.
2
.
DEFIN E TH E BED
Gently curved bed
edges flatter most
home styles. Use a garden hose
to define the bed’s edge
according to the plan.
I H
F in d Better H om es and
G ard en s' Lan d scap in g
an d D eck D esigner at
homedesignersoftware
.com.
hardiness Zone at
B H G .co m /z o n e m a p .
E x p o su re
Know
how much sun
and shade the site
receives, and
choose plants
accordingly: shade
plants for shade,
sun plants for sun.
S iz e
Pick plants
whose mature size
won’t overwhelm
the flowerbed or
crowd a walkway.
S o il
Many plants
languish in
unusually wet or
dry sites. Choose
types tolerant of
site conditions.
60
MARCH 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
