Perennial bed question

I wonder if anyone can advise me about what to do with my perennial bed.

I have divided one ENORMOUS bed into two smaller beds with a grass path meandering between them. The bed had not been properly worked through for, probably, a few years, before we moved in. Last year we waited to see what came up, so just tried to stay on top of the weeds.

Today, I emptied one bed, and dug it through. Every forkful lifted made masses of little cracking sounds as a mass of fibrous roots from weeds and self seeders that I just don't want. Just to give you an idea of the soil condition.

I worked into it half a bag of organic farm manure (pre packed so no nasties in it) mounded up the soil in the style ot was previously in. I have put back the lupins and perennials I wanted to keep and I'm really chuffed.

My dilemma is what to do with the other bed. Last year I planted penstemons, chocolate cosmos, fuschias and another perennial (who's name espcapes me) so this will be their second year.

What would most benefit the bed and those plants? To just weed around them and dig through the rest of the bed, or remove them, dig over the whole bed and put in manure, then replant. As much as it is really hard work, the soil in the other bed looks fabulous. But I don';t want to risk losing my above mentioned plants if they will not like being dug up.

HELP! :cnfs:

 

Id say dig around weed as best you can if possible add a two inch thick later of organic matter as a mulch. It is a good idea to take everything out of a perennial bed and really work it over, but you dont want to do that every year, especially if plant have only been in a year...Good Luck.

 

I would say the opposite to the advice you have had so far. The plants you have in there are still relatively new and should come up quite easily. The benefit you gain from thoroughly enriching the soil does outweigh the disadvantage of lifting the plants-at least in my own opinion. If you are careful I don't see how they would be harmed-and they would be going back in straightaway-into some good stuff too by the sound of it.

It is only the once I assume, after that it is simply a question of mulching with compost each year to keep it ticking over.

The only risk is the deep frosts we seem to still be getting, I haven't done a thing in the garden yet because of it-the greenhouse is groaning with the stuff that should be going out there:(

 

your right plants wouldnt come to any harm...but if i have the read the post right this bed was prepared last year and wasnt weed infeted so shouldnt need a complete overhall. If ive read wrong and the bed is riddled with weeds then definatly go with lollipops advice/

 

Sorry for the confusion chaps!

The bed has not been fully dug through. We moved in in February of last year, so thongs were already beginning to emerge and there was so much to do in the garden that we left those areas to see what was inside and just added things as the year went through.

 

Have you been planting your knickers as well?? :lollol:

 

:lollol:

OH MY GOODNESS!

It's amazing what grows around here. (I can't stop laughing!)

 

Thanks plantman and lollipop (Sussexgardener - I have thanked you purely on comedy input!)

I dug the bed through today and removed three wheelbarrow loads of soil! It was totally backbreaking, and frankly not very relaxing for Mother's Day, but I am now totally chuffed. I replanted everything, making sure to sprinkle some manure in the hole and mix it up a bit. I also put the manure through the whole bed.

I noticed that my lobelia (cardinalis) had new growth coming through a few weeks ago, which looked very lush and healthy . But today when I lifted it and moved it I noticed the leaves looked a bit less vibrant and were pale round the edges, looked like they'd dried up a bit.

Could that be frost damage? Will it bounce back do you think?

 

Probably just frost damage. Mine looks the same and it's in a pot. Be more afraid of slug damage. They can strip a Lobelia bare in an instant and the first you notice is when the stems fall over from being eaten at the base :(

 

It does sound like frost damage, but Aaron is right about the slugs-I am going to try a Geoff Hamilton trick this year and use lime to deter them, I'll let you know how that goes.

Maybe I am just wishful thinking but.......it hasn't frozen these last two nights-I will chance my arm and say Spring has sprung.

 

What is the lime trick?

 

I used Nemaslug last autumn and am about to order more - it seems to have done the trick as the amount of slugs has greatly diminshed. That and not growing plants they like!

 

Surrounding each plant with an unbroken line of lime-the only concern I have is the rain-I will probably have to be out there after every rainy day rebuilding my line of lime defence lol but I haven't tried it before so here's to trying lol.

 

There's the broken eggshell trick too - same principle, but the eggshells are free - as a Lancashire girl, you should like that last bit Claire:thumb::hehe: