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Want to surprise my mom
I want to start by saying I have never planted anything in my life but I want to surprise my mom by planting some flowers along her walkway. She just bought her first house in November and she's been doing a lot to it. She's allowing my daughter, soon to be son and myself live with her at no cost. I want to show her my appreciation and give her a "house warming" gift but don't know where to start.
Here are some details that may or may not matter:
The house is blue, the walkway is along the garage and only gets sun in the morning and early afternoon, the dirt looks very dry and brittle, and she has bad allergies to perfumes and the like.
Any suggestions would be great. Can this be done within a day? I would like to get it done while she's at work. TIA!
Re: Want to surprise my mom
Is there a way to post pictures of the area?
You may also want to hit a nursery nearby and explain the situation. They may be able to help you put something together.
Our little Irish rose came to us on March 5, 2010
Don't drink the water.
Disclaimer: I am not an MD. Please don't PM me with pregnancy-related questions. Ask your doctor.
How big is the area? At the very least you'll want to do some soil improvement and irrigation before you plant. If it's a small enough area, you could probably get it all done in one day if you have a plan and supplies already bought.
Before I write out a long explanation of "how to prep and plant a bed" -- how much info do you want or need?
"The meek shall inherit the earth" isn't about children. It's about deer. We're all going to get messed the fuckup by a bunch of cloned super-deer.- samfish2bcrab
Sometimes I wonder if scientists have never seen a sci-fi movie before. "Oh yes, let's create a super species of deer. NOTHING COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG." I wonder if State Farm offers a Zombie Deer Attack policy. -CaliopeSpidrman
Aww, congratulations!
You'll want to dig some compost or manure into the area you'll be planting. Set up some sort of irrigation (my favorite is a soaker hose just set on the ground -- getting water just to your plants should cut down on weeds).
When you buy plants, take a look at what size they'll get to be and space accordingly. You can fill in blank spots between perennials with annuals in the meantime. Otherwise you'll end up with a tangled mess in a few years. Look for varying heights and bloom times. A groundcover will help keep watering needs down.
When you plant them, dig the hole slightly deeper than the container and about twice as wide. Tease out the roots a bit, especially if they're bunched up. Make a little mound of dirt inside the hole until when you rest the plant there, it's at the same height in the soil that it was in the container. Then smoosh the dirt over the roots. Gently pat the area when you're done, this will help get rid of any air pockets around the roots (roots can't grow through air). Water.
Personally, I wait a week or so before after planting to let them adjust before I do any fertilizing. If you just added compost, you might not need to fertilize for awhile. I prefer granular, slow-release fertilizer.
This sounds like a really sweet project for your mom. I'm sure she'll love it.
"The meek shall inherit the earth" isn't about children. It's about deer. We're all going to get messed the fuckup by a bunch of cloned super-deer.- samfish2bcrab
Sometimes I wonder if scientists have never seen a sci-fi movie before. "Oh yes, let's create a super species of deer. NOTHING COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG." I wonder if State Farm offers a Zombie Deer Attack policy. -CaliopeSpidrman