How to Recover an Overgrown Flower Bed

Renovate in early spring as new growth is emerging.

Renovating a neglected flower bed may seem daunting, but if you break it down into steps, you'll soon have a vibrant garden instead of an eyesore. For minor renovations, leave plants in place and simply give the bed a good weeding. For a major recovery, you're better off starting with a clean slate. Consider the project an adventure. You can keep old plants, replace them or combine old and new. Keep only plants that you really love and that work well in the space. Choose plants that are well-suited to your climate and need little maintenance.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Hose
• Plastic bag
• Compost
• Tiller
• Edging (optional)
• Pruners
• Trowel

Instructions

1. Dig a furrow 6 inches deep and 8 inches wide with your shovel in a shady, moist location. Fill the furrow with water from a hose and let it drain.

2. Dig up any plants that you want to save with a shovel. Treat them gently and dig up as much of the root system as possible. Place these plants in the furrow you prepared to keep them moist and cool while you work.

3. Dig up and remove all weeds and grass. Avoid chopping perennial weeds into pieces because the roots will regrow. Put all weed parts in a garbage bag and dispose of them. Remove weeds with flowers carefully. They will leave new weed seeds if the flower heads remain in the bed.

4. Lay 2 to 3 inches of compost on the soil and till it under to a depth of 6 inches. It's not often that you get the chance to improve the soil in perennial flower beds, so take advantage of this opportunity. Repair or replace any edging that is rusted, has been damaged or has heaved out of the ground.

5. Examine the plants you previously dug up. Discard any that are diseased. This is also the time to weed out plants that are invasive, misplaced or require more maintenance than you want to give them. Trim off dead parts with pruners and divide any that are overgrown using your trowel.

6. Replant the perennials. Place tall varieties in the back of the bed and smaller ones in the front. Allow 12 to 24 inches of space between each plant, depending on its mature size. Add any new plants at this time as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Replant disturbed plants within 24 hours. If the flower bed is too large to complete the replanting in one day, divide the bed into sections.

References

• "The Garden Primer"; Barbara Damrosch; 2008

Resources

• Cornell University: Home Gardening Flower Garden Design Basics
• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Low Maintenance Landscapes