How to Make a Flower Bed Near the Foundation of a House

Rake all of the rocks out of the target area and break up any large chunks of soil. Add 5 to 6 inches of compost to the surface of the soil and work it into a depth of 10 to 12 inches.

Select the flowers you want to place in your flowerbed. Choose tall plants, such as irises, yarrow or hollyhocks, for the back of the bed — right against the house. In the middle of the flowerbed, plant flowers that grow to medium heights with mounding habits: hostas, day lilies and coneflowers Plant the smallest flowers in the front of the bed. Examples are marigolds, violas and snapdragons.

Dig holes for the flowers you want to plant. Dig a hole as deep as the flower’s root ball and twice as wide. Place the flower in the hole and fill the hole with soil. For seeds, sprinkle them at a frequency of two or three every 8 to 10 inches and cover them with 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of soil.

Water the seeds or flowers well for five to 10 minutes.