I Need Your Green Thumb!

[SimplyTsundere]

...or I at least need your green thumbs help...

 

I just recently purchased a house and in the front of it, there's a mini garden as I call it with plants and whatnot. Though I definitely want flowers, I don't want the plant life that's currently going on up there. Any advice on how to pull that stuff up, dispose of it, make sure I don't destroy anything, then put new stuff in?

 

Thanks!

 

Terra

[sheltiechick]

The best thing is to get a shovel or a trowel and dig it all up.  Depending on the plants, they might be caused by bulbs, in which case to get rid of them you have to make sure the bulb comes up and goes.  So just dig that up and dump it in a lawn bag with your leaves/sticks/whatever other lawn waste you have.

 

The house I bought had all kinds of stuff planted and I wasn't positive what some of it was.  The daylilies were easy enough to identify, and they're toxic to dogs, so they had to go.  But there was also some kind of grass-looking thing that I wasn't sure what it was, so instead of risking my suicidal dog eating it and potentially killing himself, I just dug it all up and got rid of it.  I'm not a big fan of ornamental grasses anyway. =P

 

Once it's all nice and dug up, you can till it a bit too, and it will be easy to put new flowers or plants in!

[Seri]

For taking the plants out... just jump in! A good shovel will do you wonders, too, 'cause there may be deep roots or bulbs you need to remove. If you CAN pay attention to what is in there - if its good bulbs you can sell those on Craigslist easy! People are nuts about daffodil bulbs and will pay a buck or two per bulb to get 'em. 

 

Also, do research on what plants are native to your area or thrive best in your area before you decide to go with any particular plant. If you don't really want to have to do a lot of intensive gardening - watering all the time, worrying about if something is gonna wilt the first time temperatures rise - then figure out what grows best for your area. Not just your zone - that is too general - but your specific area. Ask around at nurseries or just walk the neighborhood to see what people grow to get some ideas!