Two part gardening question?

We're in a new house whose previous owner was an avid gardener. I'm trying to keep up, but it's all very overwhelming, and now there are weeds everywhere. I can hardly tell which are weeds and which are plants. Is there a way to tell, or a reccomended weed killer that definately wouldn't kill the original plants? Also, there is a bed of tulips and daffodils that have already come and gone. How do you clean up a bed of those flowers? The bed is overrun with bulbs, what do I do when the flowers are taking over? I don't know if prune is the correct word when referring to these plants, but, in essence, how do I prune them, and when?

Two part gardening question?
Most County Extension (xyz County Cooperative Extension) offices have local master gardeners available to help, and you may find one that would come to your new home and help you identify the plants in the garden and offer advice on maintaining or altering what has been done. If someone comes to you and tells you the names of the plants, do yourself a favor and label as you go - go to a local garden store and buy a package of white plastic plant tags, and get a Sharpie, and then as someone tells you what a plant is, write it on a tag and insert into the soil next to the plant. If the Tulips and Daffodils do not appeal to you (they do, as others have mentioned, have to retain their leaves until they have browned out), perhaps a neighbor or craigslist reader or the cooperative extension would like to have them. If you want to keep them, then do snip the stems the flowers were on, and leave the leaves until they have browned and then they can be trimmed off. They will want to be fed probably at least once in the fall with bulb food, this will increase flower color and size and plant health. Good luck, and I hope you enjoy it!
Reply:Be glad you moved into a home with a garden!

You and your family will determine the needs of the property and not the neighbors. Set your goals to meet those goals, those of your family!

The bulb plantings, can all be erased. The weeds can all be taken care of. The Original and Foundation plants can all be addressed. It is the plan, not the reaction, that should dictate your actions.

Regardless of the state of bloom, in full or in decline, remove all the bulb plants immediately. Tag any planting regardless of tree or shrub you do not want for removal within the next six-nine months.. Call your County Extension Agent for both a consult and soil survey(check the local phone book)

The person you bought the property from probably had more help than you. They sold it because it became more than they could handle. It happens. Best intentions go awray.

Now is your time to be bold and foward.

Go to the local library/bookstore and look for Wyman's Garden Encyc. The book cost about $70 at most stores. With the free soil test you can determine what you can and should not plant in you garden. The County Extension Agent will also tell you what you need for your turf, if you ask him/her.

Make a plan for a garden based on the info you get from this book and, most importantly, what truly grows in your area.

I know the book. I design on what I can see that is growing in an area. My designs include Toll Bros, JPI, Jericho Builders Model Homes.

Make a plan and set in motion the actions you want. I fear that you want immediate results. That does not happen in either life or landscape. A plant, like a human being, needs time to breathe and grow. The turfgrasss can be reset with some effort but in a much smaller time.

Love your home, husband, etc. Take your time and do it right.

Sorry for the bad news. Call back at gjgjobs@yahoo.com.
Reply:You'll need to dig up the bulbs, which shouldn't be hard because most are only about five to six inches deep. Whatever does not appeal to you, plant or weed, just dig it up. It is so overwhelming I know, so just take a small section each day. Then bring in fresh dirt and plant your new plants. Good luck !! There's nothing nicer than a beautiful garden, but it does take work.
Reply:If this if your first year in the spring, DON'T PULL ANYTHING OUT OF THE GARDEN unless you are sure they are weeds. Wait and see. You will eventually be able to figure it out. When perennials are first coming up they often can resemble a weed. A product call PREEN will help you very eary in the spring season because it will kill weeds not plants. Don't use Preen if you are going to ever use flower seeds.



Tulip leaves need to be rolled or folded down. Secure them with a clothespin. The leaf will eventually detached itself from the bulb. If you cut them, most likely they will not come back. The bulbs need to take their course. I learned this the hard way, trust me.



Daffodills can be cut or moved down. Wait 'til you see a lot of brown or drying on the leaf.



Sounds like you guys are lucky. Starting a garden from scratch is very expensive.



Buy yourself a good "perennial book". You will be able to identify your plants after some practice.



Happy gardening.
Reply:I can help with part of your question...in order to clean up the flower bed, you will have to dig up some of the bulbs. Bulbs reproduce every year, so that's the only way to maintain the bed.
Reply:We count on tulips and daffodils to help welcome spring year after year with only a little bit of care on our part. But some common mistakes can weaken them and lead to fewer flowers the following year.



Seed production takes food away from the developing bulbs, so it's important to remove faded flowers before they produce seed.



Leaves, however, must remain on the plants until they turn yellow. This yellowing is not attractive but it is a sign that the foliage has fully matured and has manufactured enough food to build a bulb that's strong enough to bloom again next year.



You can hide yellowing leaves by setting out flowering annuals among the bulb plants in late May. Choose annuals that need minimal watering, such as marigolds, vinca, or moss roses. Keeping the soil too moist all summer can weaken the dormant bulbs.



To encourage strong bulb development, fertilize them soon after bulb foliage emerges in spring, and again one month later. Use specially formulated bulb food, not just bone meal.



If your flowers diminish from year to year, which is not unusual in our climate, dig the bulbs once foliage matures and save only the largest ones. Plant them, along with new bulbs, next October.
Reply:The 2nd part of the question is easy. Let the tulip and other bulbs alone until they brown up, which will be late summer. Then you can gently dig them up and plant them in other clusters once your garden is cleaned up. You want to plant the bulbs with the point facing up, and at least 4 or 5 inches deep.



The first part of the question how to distiguish which is a flower, plant, and what is a weed is a hard call. Some flowers are obvious and others aren't. Either wait and see and try to weed it out, or dig up and start over with your own taste. It is a shame you didn't think to ask that question when you were looking at the house. Good luck!

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