How to Clear a Garden Flowerbed

Clearing a flowerbed in your garden can be useful when rejuvenating an overgrown bed, replacing tired plants with a new design, or removing plants to kill weeds when a garden bed is overrun. Whatever the reason for clearing a garden flowerbed, proper preparation is key in providing you with a clean canvas on which to design and paint your new garden picture.

Garden spade
Garden fork
Garden rake
Pruning shears
Wheelbarrow
Several large buckets

Instructions

- 1
  Pull up and discard all unwanted annuals and use the garden spade or fork to dig up stubborn roots.
- 2
  Dig down around perennial plants you want to keep, being careful not to cut through roots, and place the plants in buckets that contain about an inch of water to keep them fresh while deciding where you plan to relocate them.
- 3
  Dig up and discard all weeds, clumps of grass or other unwanted plants that emerged during the season, or add them to the compost pile if they show no sign of insect infestation or disease.
- 4
  Dig the soil down to a depth of about 6 inches, removing any rocks or other debris such as fallen tree branches or matted leaves.
- 5
  Work plenty of organic matter into the soil to enrich it, or apply an all-purpose flower garden fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, following application rates listed on the packaging, and dig this in well.
- 6
  Rake the soil smooth, removing any stray clumps or debris.
- 7
  Dig holes in the new bed for the perennials you want to keep or relocate them to another area on your property.

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