Looks wonderful and I can't wait to see your progress as you continue to fill in the beds!

I went earlier today to the real nursery and bought ten bags of their good topsoil and five bags of their good compost.

Then when I got home I put out the topsoil first and spread it out and then the compost spread out on top. I wish I had thought of taking pictures of the bags all ready laid along the garden to be emptied but all I wanted to do was get it filled with my bagged goodies. Did take after pictures of the empty bags laying around and the iris garden now full of good soil and compost the way I wanted it. Its pretty much leveled out but I will let it sit overnight and tweek any imperfections tomorrow. I have pictures of it now but too tired to download. So will download tomorrow and post my update pictures then.

I was a crabby last night until I went to bed as I was so tired. I wanted everyone to see all the wonderful work I did but I hadn't even downloaded my pictures! I haven't done any more there yet today. I have to do some minor more leveling. Let me show you the pictures-

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Empty bags of top soil and some compost.

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I don't know why it looks so small from the third picture, its not. I guess the angle. When I was making it I kept having troubles making the lines run parrell as they look like they come in when they are really even. So I had to do it by measuriing and running a stringline to get it even and correct.

I am thinking how to make the end look better. I might just entend those edger pavers to run all the way accross to mark the edge of that gardenbed area.

This filled in area is the new Tall Bearded Iris section. Iris plants aready ordered and they ship in July.

Creating new beds is both exciting AND exhausting. So far you've done pretty darn good. Time to sit and relax, have tea with us on Thursday. :)

Yay, my work got noticed :-)) I am working on that little brick section off to the right this afternoon. Its all turning out pretty good. Of course, it still needs lots more work plus the iris need planting in the iris section. But its starting to come together the way I had envisioned it.

I love it, Rita. You have a way of laying out your beds which I would have never thought of and they turn out beautifully. I'll bet you WERE exhausted after all the work you did there. How rewarding it must have been to get up today and come out and see it all complete. I can just see the iris' blooming in it next spring!

MeMo

Rita,
You've got it perectly ready for the iris. The planting will be a breeze. I am jealous. I stil have to do the top soil and compost part to my new bed, but at least I have the border all layed now.

You have done an exellent job getting ready for the iris. I need to work on my new iris bed this week (I'm off 5 days...no doctor appointments, no teaching, just off days).
May be I'll be close to where you are by the weeks ed.

The new roses are in their pots until fall when they will go in the ground, and my list for new ones to order has expanded. I'm going to order four more this week.

kay

It wasn't quite finished, still isn't. But I worked on the end were the brick edged bed is. I put some soil to fill the low spots, then mulched it. Then I planted the pink verbenas I had still here, some at each end. I have zinnia seeds and if I ever get them started, I could plant them along in there for this year just to give some color.

I couldn't really think of any other layout with the space I had there. I don't want to try and change the gardens around it, so had to make it work around what was already there.

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I will be happy after the TB iris come and I can get that iris bed planted. I will mulch it then with those extra large pine bark nuggets I used also last year on the other iris. That seemed to work really well.

Rita,
I can't believe you get by with mulching your iris. I plan to spend tomorrow making sure no iris has anything touching it in my beds because they will rot so easily. Maybe the humid air makes a difference.

Speaking of new beds, I still haven't put all of the compost on my new one, but on an altogether different subject, DH is trying to get me to cut the wisteria down. His argument is that it is pretty for such a short time, and a lot of work the rest of the time.

I may go along with him, because that will be an excellent area for my new lilac and the new rose garden I have decided to plant with day lilies in front of them. I have the five roses I ordered from Heirloom in pots and they are growing well already. I have another list of twelve that I plan to order soon. Did you ever find out what that little purple rose you posted pictures of was?

Anyway, I have plenty of work cut out for me, but it looks like yours is about done.
kay

The purple rose was MIDNIGHT BLUE. I am pretty sure I posted about it on one of these threads but maybe I just dreamed that I did LOL.

I used to have Wysteria and got rid of it because it was just too much work. I agree with hubby, cut it down and make a new improved gardenspace instead.

All my iris are lightly mulched. They are very carefully not mulched the day I do the other things around here though. If I did that (straw or leaves) they would certainly rot. Two did rot overwinter though but since I had about 55 I didn't care that two rotted.

I very carefully keep my Bearded Iris away from my other gardenbeds. Like see the new space. It is very defined just for the iris. All my iris bed areas are like that. So, after I plant, I mulch them with these big pine bark nuggets that are pretty much useless mulch for anything else. But they are great for the iris. The nuggets are so large, they do not wash over the rhizomes. PLus I put them around the iris and try not to be too close to the rhizomes to start. If I did nothing I could not deal with the weeds. It obviously works as the iris overwintered well, increased like gangbusters and bloomed beautifully.

It is very humid here on Long Island and usually hot in summer, especially August. But still not as hot as down south.

Rita! Just sprinkle Preen around that nice new bed. You will then hardly ever have even a weed to worry about, but it doesn't hurt your iris since it is a pre-emergent and they are already up.

I would have to work really hard if I didn't have it.

I am leaning toward taking your advice and axing the wisteria. I can see it in trees all along the roads anyway.
Of course, I'll miss it during bloom time, but that is short.
kay

I have never tried Preen. I am so old fashioned that I finially only broke down and bought Sluggo Slug Bait this spring as I was just getting so overrun with those slugs and snails. I try to do things the natural way as much as possible but it just isn't always possible.

Do I put preen on the bed before I plant the iris? Or do I sprinkle it around the iris after they are planted? Thanks.

I put Preen on before I plant. Natural is good. (I haven't done anything with the blasted beetles but drowned them in soapy water) but no need to work yourself to death when the solution is so easy. The following spring, I scattered it around the plants after clearing all leaves etc..that may have fallen.

I ordered the roses: Midnight Blue, Polka, Abraham Darby, The Magician, and Seafoam.

The wisteria is a thing of the past...except for those awful roots that I have most of to dig up still.

I plan to plant the Miss Kim lilac in that area. It is doing beautifully in the greenhouse now. I will also plant roses there.

Just so you know, I planted the order from Maryott in yet another area. I think I will plant day lilies in front of the roses, and may put some of the shorter roses in front of the taller ones. Still more planting to plan.

kay