I decided to try a new method. I used newspaper to cover the grass instead of digging it all up (which would take all day!). My mother had always done this method and it works great for her. 
Newspaper down! Next....
cover with topsoil...
Lay out plants. At this point I had also enlarged the bed between the porch and sidewalk.
Ramona gave me this Clematis. I planted it at the lightpost. It will grow up it.
Here is another shot of the new beds with the plants laid out. All of the seeds I planted will also go in these beds when they get larger. I have hollyhock that I want to plant around the lightpost, then foxglove around them. I also have daisies, cosmos, zinnia, and salvia to go in here.
Here is a shot of one bed after everything had been planted.
I planted an African Daisy near the lightpost (in the pot)
The final shot.
Newspaper down! Next....
cover with topsoil...
Lay out plants. At this point I had also enlarged the bed between the porch and sidewalk.
Ramona gave me this Clematis. I planted it at the lightpost. It will grow up it.
Here is another shot of the new beds with the plants laid out. All of the seeds I planted will also go in these beds when they get larger. I have hollyhock that I want to plant around the lightpost, then foxglove around them. I also have daisies, cosmos, zinnia, and salvia to go in here.
Here is a shot of one bed after everything had been planted.
I planted an African Daisy near the lightpost (in the pot)
The final shot.
Tomorrow I will gets some shots of the gazania I planted. They are fab!! Tomorrow it is on to bed #3. It is small and shouldn't take long. Then I will mosey on to the backyard for some sprucing...then cut the grass!!!!!!!!
Weekends should be longer!!!!
Until tomorrow. The Princess is pooped, and half of this post probably doesn't make sense. My brain and my skin is fried!!!!!!
Many, MANY thanks to my mother (The Dirt Queen) who came over to help me get everything planted. Normally I would just get it done, but with the Garden Club meeting at my house on Thursday...I paniced!!!
Thanks mom :)
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14 comments:
Just wait until all your plants mature, it is going to look fabulous.
Very nice beds. The newspaper trick sure works, but it takes a bit longer doing that way in my garden. Your mother must be a good gardener too.
Hi Dirt Princess,
Isn't that "end of a gardening day pooped" the best feeling? Well, especially when you fall into bed.
Looks like your extreme makeover is going very well... lots of work you got done and you picked some great plants.
I'm in the south, too, (Florida)so I know about the heat and mosquitoes. Enjoyed my look around your blog.
Meems @ Hoe and Shovel
Wow you got a lot done. I love being that kind of tired because it means you got lots done! It looks great.
Everything looks good. Using newspaper and adding soil is how I make garden beds, too, because the pine tree roots makes digging impossible here. So far, that method has proved to be fine.
Jan
Always Growing
Great Job Princess ~ I can't wait to see everything bigger and full of blooms. Bless the Queen's heart for helping you plant, so that you will look good for the garden club meeting on Thursday.
Hope you are enjoying the day today.
FlowerLady
So how thick of a layer of topsoil did you put on top of the newspaper?
keewee - I am waiting for all of the flowers in my beds to mature!!!
Tina- I hope this method works for me. It was much easier to me. My mom is an excellent gardener. She can grow anything and root anything.
Catherine - I am spending the rest of the day recovering!
Jan - glad to hear that it is an effective method
FlowerLady - My mother is an angel!!! Now I just have to clean the house!!!
Susie - I didn't use that much topsoil. It should have been thicker. I used 10 bags, and I could have used 20. The soil in the front yard is extra rich. Every trowel full had earthworms in it. So the soil is excellent. Thank goodness!
Meems - When I hit they bed I was OUT!!!!!!! I am actually about to lay down and take a nap now!! LOL!
Oh the mosiquitos are terrible! They love me! They don't bother my husband at all.
Holy night! You got things moving!!!! Looks fab!!! So instant!!! Clever girl!!! So how does it work with the newspaper? Is the bed slightly raised then? Does the newspaper stop the weeds or help kill the grass? Sorry for asking, such a beginner, need al the help I can get!
Linzi - It is "instant" because I didn't try to kill myself by tilling the ground, and moving the grass! That is a killer. So I thought I would try this method. This is how my mom has always done her beds. Jan and Tina agree that this does work. I wouldn't classify it as a raised bed. You put the newspaper down pretty thick. It always killed the grass and weeds for my mom. Hope it does for me!Don't worry....I have only been gardening for 3 years so I am still new as well....I bug my mom and the other garden club ladies to death!!!
Wow - what a long day. I'm impressed. Best of luck with the newspaper: it sounds a cunning idea. I did the opposite - all the hard work of skimming the turf off, but then had nowhere to put it so I turned it upside down and put more soil on top. It didn't work - about 6 months later the grass roots were coming through. Nightmare. So I'll try the newspaper next time!
Great job!!! It's going to look great. The curve is good. That newspaper (the thicker, the better) will breakdown quickly and with the composted dead grass you will soon have some great soil in that bed.
Wow, you are ambitious and this is going to be absolutely beautiful!
I can't believe how much you got done. I want to try this too. I am planning some raised (mounded) borders along my fenceline and thought I would try cardboard before I put compost and dirt on top of it. I will then weedcloth the dirt and much the weedcloth. I hope it works. Yours looks so nice.
Heather
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