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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services, May 11 Special election: Jackson County voters OK marijuana tax Frohnmayer, 74, dies; tributes pour in What you'll find at the growers markets this week St. Mary's reaches out to China Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, May 11 Police reports Medford police use anti-overdose nasal spray to revive heroin victim Emergency Services, March 10 Medford man arrested for growing marijuana Politics and Elections Ex-Merkley aide chosen as Oregon secretary of state Ashland: Budget increase, swimming pool funding discussion on council agenda Judge upholds Phoenix's moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries Ballots on Jackson County marijuana tax go out Friday Brown's inauguration brings hope to local lawmakers Education St. Mary's reaches out to China Work your body to save your braaaaains Inert grenade spurred White Mountain Middle School evacuation Willow Wind students raise money for water District considers options to keep school tracks open, safe Environment Low snow closes Mt. 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Lifestyle Latest stories 5 Things to Do This Weekend (March 13-15) Dear Monty: Successful rezoning property requires a plan Lost in Suburbia: Fifty shades of dirty dog Dave Ramsey: The problem with being impulsive Can't beet cold-weather crops Food Serra storms Seattle Food for Thought: Spice up dinner with shrimp Community blog: Chocolate festival winners came from near and far Prudence Hilburn: Cookbook compiler finds best of the best in Southern recipes Gail Ciampa: Garlicky mushrooms star in fresh layered sandwich Home and Garden Dear Monty: Successful rezoning property requires a plan Garden Cameos: Time to give your garden a new look Carol Link: Eradicate weeds completely, use edgers to help keep thrift on slope Paul Rogers: Daylight Saving, full moon hopeful signs for spring Home Help: 4 ways to redefine your outdoor space Health Community blog: The Future is Now Dr. Murray Feingold: Cognitive-behavioral therapy shown to help hoarders Dr. Jeff Hersh: Gallstones affect 25 percent of American women Health Watch: Get prepped for spring break HealthStyle: Marriage care and maintenance Hiking Biking Faith More religion events in the Rogue Valley Religion Briefs Religion briefs, Feb. 27 Religion briefs: Friday, Feb. 20 Religion News: Pope makes surprise shantytown visit Milestones and Achievements Exercise helps special-needs kids adjust to airport procedures Engagement: Workman-Wright Anniversary: Hofer Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories OSF Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic Zepdrix! 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'Shook, Rattled and Rolled' ZEPDRIX! at the Historic Ashland Armory The Bee Eaters play Headwaters Ladysmith Black Mambazo plays the Craterian Theater Live Music in Local Clubs Community Events OSF Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Jesse Lawson and Joe Moxley host 'Barkeeper' Third Fridays showcases local artists Southern Oregon Rod and Custom Show Dining Serra storms Seattle Sakura Japanese Sushi Restaurant opens in new location Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, March 1 Great Outdoor Grill offers healthful options Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015 Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines/Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Medford council shouldn't over-regulate backyard pot gardens ... Special election: Jackson County voters OK marijuana tax ... Frohnmayer, 74, dies; tributes pour in ... Our View: Medford council shouldn't over-regulate backyard pot gardens ... Special election: Jackson County voters OK marijuana tax ... Frohnmayer, 74, dies; tributes pour in ... Garden Cameos: Time to give your garden a new look By Linda Cobb The Spartanburg Herald-Journal MailTribune.com By Linda Cobb The Spartanburg Herald-Journal Posted Mar. 10, 2015 @ 9:12 am By Linda Cobb The Spartanburg Herald-Journal Posted Mar. 10, 2015 @ 9:12 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> When you garden on the same plot of land for years, it is easy to get yourself into a nice comfortable rut. A rut when you hunker down, so to speak, and never do anything different or even think about anything new. The old expression, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies here. Sometimes you cannot even see the flower bed is old and tired. The plantings may be thin and weak or just plain worn out. Just because you have done it this way for years doesn’t mean you can never change it. Now is the perfect time to think about ripping out a whole bed or even half of it. Be brave and get out the paper, pencils, mail-order catalogs, ideas and garden magazines, and start to think change. This is something I recently have done. After 20 years, the long perennial bed needed a makeover. The biggest mistake of my horticultural career was planting mint in this bed, and 20 years later, it is still there. But all of the plants had gotten old and tired and there was not any theme or cohesiveness to the bed anymore. The first step to the process is to decide how large this bed will be. My bed was easy because it is a self-contained bed of only one size. We removed every plant and potted the ones I wanted to keep to return to the new bed and tossed the old and no longer viable ones. Then we added a layer of compost and mushroom compost to the bed. The soil was already rich and loose, but after the compost and mushroom compost was added we tilled it up. If you are creating a bed from scratch, you will need to remove the grass by renting a grass-removal machine or you can dig it up. Hardware stores usually rent these machines. If your bed has hard red clay, you will need to resort to drastic measures. This is the most important step you can take to renovating or creating a new flower bed. The standard soil amendment steps are hard red clay, sand (any kind of sand) and peat moss. Now I know you cannot measure this, but you can guess at it easily. After you scatter theses ingredients on your soil, till it to about 8 to 10 inches. This will leave you with perfect garden soil suitable for growing ornamental shrubs, vegetables, perennials and annuals. The next steps require thinking and planning. This is where I get out about 20 pieces of bamboo, in all sizes. I use the bamboo to plan out my bed by laying them down in the bed to designate planting pockets. This gives me a real visual idea of what it will look like. While doing this I keep in mind how big the plants get, not to hide a plant under another bigger plant and how many plants fit in the pocket. While I am planning out my bed, using these visual techniques, I will take that time to decide what plants go in the bed. Assuming this is a full-sun bed, I like to start out the positioning of my key plants such as phlox, Joe Pye weed, roses, cone flower and rudbeckia, paying attention to what plants bloom in what season. After positioning my canes throughout my bed to indicate the location of each group of plants, then I will add to it some larger shrubs or trees such as forest pansy or any large hydrangeas including limelight, a full-sun hydrangea. Maybe I might want to add a tall pole with a clematis on it. These plants are my base plants. Next, I will want to plan to add some annuals to run through the bed randomly. For this you can select what is available at the local nursery when the season arrives or you can plan, buy seed, and grow your own, like larkspur and Queen Anne’s lace. I usually dot them through the bed like a stream in a curved line. This way you have total control of your flower bed, enabling you to always be prepared. For early March interest, you should plant a few Lenten roses or hellebores. Add to the current bed some daffodil bulbs scattered in groups throughout the planting bed. This way when it is spring there will be something to look forward to before any of the garden wakes up. Also it would be wise to plant some tulip bulbs here and there. This is always planted in the fall, so make a note on your calendar to order bulbs in July or August and plant them out in October. There is always the giant allium, globemaster, which blooms in April and May. Add to that some of the ornamental tall lilies that will bloom in the summer months of June and July. All of this needs to be planned ahead on a calendar, plotted, ordered and dug in. By now if you have marked off the groups of phlox, Joe Pye weed and the other plants within the bamboo canes, and have used small inverted pots to indicate where each plant will go within the bamboo areas, your bed will look really crazy, with canes all over and many pots all over the ground. But don’t despair. This process will really help you make some decisions. Give it a try. I think you will have a much better picture of how many plants to buy, what kinds and where they will go. This is the very best visual exercise you can do. Linda Cobb is a master gardener who lectures, teaches and does garden design in South Carolina. Email her at [email protected]. Visit her website, at mygardenersguide.com. By Linda Cobb The Spartanburg Herald-Journal MailTribune.com By Linda Cobb The Spartanburg Herald-Journal Posted Mar. 10, 2015 @ 9:12 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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