Method 3 of 3: Planting and after-care

Know when to plant. You should plant any flower other than a pansy after the last frost of the spring. Pansies are heartier and can withstand the cold. Other flowers will die if you plant them and a frost comes. Find the average last frost date from the previous year. Search online at plantmap.com for the last frost in your area. You can also use the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) to obtain data on the last frost date in your location.

Certain plants will thrive best if they are planted during a specific time or at certain temperatures, so pay attention to the care instructions for your plant. For example, irises grow best if you plant them in the late summer or early fall instead of in the spring. You can go to www.garden.org to read more about how to care for your specific plant.

Note when you are buying your plants that annuals will grow just one season and perennials will last at least two seasons.

Set a perimeter for your bed. You don’t need to create a border; however, you should know where the perimeter of your bed is to know where to plant. Take a shovel and mark off the diameter of the bed. Remember that you should start planting a foot out from the trunk of the tree, so 24 inches may be a good place to make a perimeter.

Cultivate the soil in your bed. Using your hand shovel, loosen the ground in your bed, and remove any weeds or debris under the tree. Add an inch or two of topsoil to the loosened ground. You can buy a premixed bag blended for perennial plants or annual plants from a hardware store.

Dig a hole a little deeper and wider than the container of your plant. Use your hands or your hand shovel to make a hole for your plant. Remember to dig a few inches away from the roots of the tree and a foot away from the base of the trunk.

Take the plant carefully out of its container. If it is a small pack with several flowers, push up from the bottom and lift the plant out from the roots. Untangle any roots that are stuck to the bottom of the container. If it is a potted plant, place your hand over the surface of the soil, and turn the plant over into the palm of your hand.

Loosen the roots of the plant. Take the outside of the root ball, and gently untangle some of the roots at the edge of the root ball. You do not want the roots to remain a dense mass, and untangling them a bit will allow the roots to plant more easily into the new soil.

Place the plant in the hole, and cover it with soil. Gently put the plant into the new soil, and take your new topsoil and cover the flower roots. Then press down on the soil around the base of the flower with your hands. Now your plant is almost set- repeat the above steps to plant the rest of your shrubs and flowers before you water.

Hold the plant by the roots rather than by the stems at all times.

Leave your plants room to grow, and weed your flower bed regularly. When you are planting, do not plant the flowers or shrubs too close together. Find out how big the plants are going to grow, and consider how densely you want the area to be populated with plants. Leave at least 2-3 inches of space between each plant. In addition, you should maintain your flower bed by weeding regularly. Use your hands and pluck out any unwanted plants that are growing around your flowers and plants by the root. If weeds are left unattended they can choke your flowers and take their nutrients.

Make a schedule on your calendar for when you should be weeding your flower bed to help keep you on track with your weeding.

Water the area where you have planted your flowers thoroughly. Water consistently after you have planted your plants. When the plants roots have to compete with the roots of a tree they will need more water. Set a watering schedule for your plants to help you keep track of when you have watered them and when you will need to water them again.

Every year add another inch of organic matter to your garden. You can add organic matter or more topsoil to your garden that is suited for your kinds of flowers, perennial or annual. You need to add organic matter because the bacteria and fungi in organic matter is food for your plants. You can make your own organic matter for your garden by composting. Using your vegetable scraps, garden clippings, leaves or manure, you can provide the nutrients your plants need to thrive year after year.