Soil Requirements

Preparing the soil for flower beds or borders requires more care than planting a lawn. For example, digging must be deeper. You could dig the bed 2 feet deep, although 1 1/2 feet is suitable. It is, possible to grow flowers in a shallower bed than this, but the deeper you dig, the better your production will be. Any heavy lumps should be broken up, spread in some sand, cinders or ashes in the bottom soil to break it up. It’s a good practice to work in some manure, well-rotted compost, grass clippings or peat moss into the bottom. Let it settle naturally – do not firm the bottom soil down.

Good loam should be used for the topsoil – e.g., humus, peat moss, well-rotted manure, well-sifted leaf mold or heavy sand. Wood ashes are fine for spring, and lime may be used for loosening the soil. You might think about the character of your soil and consider the particular fertilizer which contains the elements your soil needs most. Should you use manure – CAUTION – be careful not to let it touch the roots of plants.

The problems of color should be kept in mind when planning flower borders and beds, so that while there is sufficient contrast in texture and color of the flowers, there is at the same time an attractive blending.