Starting a new bed this morning... crazy?!

[conniepr]

I'm starting a new flowerbed this morning. Am I crazy?! But a landscape designer planned it for me and I want to follow through. Also, our front lawn was devastated by voles this winter and my husband is going to try to revive it by spreading a thin layer of new soil on top with new seed but there's no point in him doing it in this far corner. Plus, this far corner is dead, dull and ugly, and always has been. The grass there is old, thin, sparce, and mostly quack grass and weeds. So, I'm going to cover it with wet newspaper, then landscape paper, then bark much. Then, I'll add in a few plants this year and the rest next year. AND, if I do this, it will be easier to mow the lawn because the existing evergreen will now have bark mulch around it instead of us trying to mow underneath it. (Have I convinced myself that I'm not crazy?)

[Smitty]

yup...think you've convinced yourself. Makes perfect sense to me too

[Trailblaze1]

I'd say never interrupt a strong urge to create gardens, no matter what time of year or season. Have fun!

[Eeyore]

Absolutely a good solution to a problem spot!

[Scrapinthehat]

Definitely....NOT! How exciting!! Sounds like you have a good plan.

[conniepr]

Well, it's slow going. Here's a pic of the area I'm working in:

The little diablo ninebark in the circle of stones was put there last year, but was damaged by voles and is going to be moved to a different location.

I decided I needed to get rid of the grass along the edges, especially the sidewalk edge so that there was a clean edge for the bark mulch to be held back in. Now I'm on hold for a bit because I won't work in the front yard when the sun's too hot (had melanoma a few years back). Will go back to it after supper.

[B_BQ]

Crazy? Join the club - we'll hold a chair for you!

BTW - The Ninebark Diablo will get quite big. We planted a couple at the corner of our yard about 3 years ago. They must really like it there - 8 ft tall and 6 feet wide now! Another one on the corner of our garage, in very substandard soil, is even bigger! 10 feet tall and 7 feet wide!

~BBQ

[conniepr]

Wow! I was hoping to keep them no bigger than 6ft by pruning (diablo ninebark).

[Heidi S]

I have three ninebarks in my yard, which were planted early in my garden's evolution. All three are big and tall, and I have taken to chopping them down to the ground every 2 or three years to rejuvenate them, and allow the rest of the plants nearby a break. The ninebarks are all quite tolerant of being bobbed periodically. I have no where to move them, and don't want to get rid of them completely so this is the compromise I made.