Plan your design

around native plants and flowers, or ones with proven durability -- these

require less water. For those that do need more water, plan to group them

together (preferably near a faucet or hose). That way you can concentrate

on watering them without needing to saturate the whole bed.

Preparing

your flower bed's soil. To thrive, roots need well-prepared soil.

Therefore, prior to planting, it's necessary to prepare the soil, especially

if a flower bed has never been in that location before.

The first step

is to evaluate the soil. Evaluation can be done both by appearance and

is a good thing. Light colored or reddish soils are often sandy or have

a high concentration of clay, which is not good for planting. You can

also determine the quality of your soil by rubbing it between your fingers.

When moist,

sandy soils feel gritty and falls apart easily, whereas clay will feel

harsh when dry and sticky when wet. Both clay and sandy soils can be greatly

improved by adding organic matter. This can be found around the home in

the form of fallen leaves or vegetable compost from your kitchen. Or,

you can purchase peat moss or aged manure in bulk from a landscape supply

store. Lightly dug several inches into the soil, these natural substances

will be further broken down by useful soil organisms such as bacteria,

fungi and earthworms.

The final step

in soil preparation is a soil test. This will not only measure the levels

of nutrients in your soil to let you know what's available and what the

soil lacks, but it will also indicate your soil's pH level. This is the

relative acidity or alkalinity, which affects how plants take up the nutrients

they need to thrive.

To perform

the test, you can collect soil samples from six inches below the surface

in several areas of your garden and then send them to your local Extension

Agency or a soil lab. Or, you can purchase a do-it-yourself kit from a

garden center or nursery. With a pH of 7 being neutral, those soils with

a pH lower than 7 are acidic, while soils above 7 are alkaline. Most plants

grow well within a pH range of 5.0 to 6.5. If your pH is too low, you

can add dolomitic limestone to raise it. If the pH is too high, you can

add fine sulfur to lower it.

Eliminating

weeds. Now it's time to get your hands dirty and rid your soil of

those menacing weeds that can ruin your well-planned garden.

First, thoroughly

remove all of the existing weeds and grass by hand. Do not use a rototiller

or chop up the turf by hand or machine. That's one way of guaranteeing

those weeds will return. Understand that the roots and runners of perennial

weeds have the ability to regenerate a new plant from nearly each and

every one of the tiniest fragments of a root. You could end up with more

weeds than before you started. Manual removal may seem laborious and time

consuming, but hopefully it will be the last time you have to do it.

With all the

existing weeds removed, take measures to prevent the arrival of new ones.

Apply a pre-emergent herbicide like Preen early in the season to your

soil surface. Preen is formulated to actually prevent the growth of weeds

that would ultimately compete with your plants for survival. However,

it is specially formulated to not effect the health of established plants.

And, since it won't migrate in the soil, it can even be applied on sloping

areas without fear of leaching or run-off when it rains.

To further

save time, you can apply a combination pre-emergent and fertilizer, like

Preen 'n Green. Endorsed by The American Rose Society, this product not

only eliminates the need to ever pull another weed, but its balanced 9-17-9

fertilizer also encourages strong root development and improved vigor.

One application prevents weeds for up to three months. Eliminating weeds

not only enhances the beauty of your garden, but also without any weeds

to compete for vital nutrients and moisture, your flowers will grow more

beautiful and robust.

Make the

most of the light. Two common problems in gardens are areas with too

much sun and areas with too much shade. One way to have colorful flowers

every year in fully sunny spots is to plant perennials. They don't flower

as long as annuals, but by selecting varieties with different flowering

periods you can have blooms throughout the growing season. Some combinations

could include cornflower, iris and primrose.

In areas lacking

light, there are also perennials that have adapted to shaded sights. They're

able to perform photosynthesis with lower levels of natural light. These

include lily of the valley, forget-me-nots and Jacob's ladder, which could

be combined with ferns and other shade-requiring foliage plants, such

as hostas.

Something else

to consider is heat. This is the condition under which annuals thrive.

There are a number of annuals that can take high heat, including dahlia,

hibiscus, marigolds and impatients.

For more tips

on how to prepare your garden, call 800/233-0626 or visit www.preen.com.

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