I'd say you've got a pretty good handle on the two alternatives. It's really just down to what you can tolerate-aesthetically this season versus preparation-wise next. BTW, if you do elect to do prep work this year, do amend the entire area with organic matter, not just little areas where the new plants are projected to be placed. Some here will even chime in to say that should not be done, but I maintain-as I've understood for decades now-that amending entire planting beds, while not necessarily crucial to future success, will yield benefits. Amending "planting holes" is a long-discredited method though, more apt to cause problems than to solve them.

+oM

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I would/will definitely amend the entire planting area, not just the holes. As far as the timing of ripping out the old stuff, I favor doing it this year since that would cut the project work load in half (tear out this year / plant next year), but the wife isn't too keen on having a bare house front all year long. But if it doesn't really make a difference to the health of the soil itself, I guess I can just leave it the way it is now, and add all the amendments next year after tear out / just before planting the new plants.

Remember that bare soil won't stay bare for very long. If you do choose to rip out current plantings and amend the area this season, be sure to cover the bare bed with a good layer of mulch to help keep the weeds out. And you may still need a little hands-on attention as well. A weedy bare planting bed looks much worse than just a bare planting bed!

Perhaps taking out the shrubs in early fall would work well. Take them out, improve the whole planting bed, let that sit and settle over the winter, then plant new next spring, whenever that arrives where you are. You shouldn't get too many weeds over the winter/early spring in the shrubless bed. Meanwhile, you can mulch and amend the bed as much as possible this spring and summer.

Those are good points. As soon as the old shrubs are out and sunlight starts hitting that open ground, things will start sprouting, but then if I do the tear out in fall, nothing much would come up over the winter (I'm in Virginia, by the way). I think I've got some good direction now. Thanks - y'all have been very helpful!

I would rip out the stuff now or in the fall, therfore having less work to do next spring. Also, why do you feel you need to amend the soil? Do the plants that are there now look like they are lacking nutrients? If not, then there is no reason to amend the soil. You can also rip the shrubs out now and think about what you want to plant this summer and then plant new things this fall.

That way they have a head start before next spring.

your entire plan.. seems to only involve these shrubs ... are there no other variables????

i would never waste money on amending a bed for shrubs ... nor would i waste money of fert for such.. UNLESS a soil test indicates something is missing from the soil .;..

in my world... warped as it is ... rip them out ... design new beds ... triple their depth ... add walls.. walkways.. whatever .. leaving 2 to 4 feet at teh foundation of teh house based on mature plant size[that is for house maintenance, gutter cleaning, xmas bulb hanging, window cleaning..e tc ..] ... and mulch 3 to 5 inches deep, so that it is the recommended 2 to 4 inches when it settles ...

and then plant some annuals.. and perennials .. in fall.. some spring bulbs ...

and then either in fall or very early next spring.. work in your shrubs ...

i will bet my shiny penny ... that you have highly overgrown common POS that were planted ON THE FOUNDATION... based on the size they were at the point of sale ... and being the usual suspects... are now just about covering the facade of the whole house ... and i would not spend all summer looking at that ....

and that is why ... you need to increase the bed sizes.. and site plants.. for there future potential ...

can you favor us with an upright pic.. and let us know where you are ... then we might be able to start talking about actual plants.. to landscape the front of your new castle..

and do understand.. a good mulch.. is much more valuable.. than amending soil ... in most cases ... spend the money on the mulch ...

i vote for getting to work on a comprehensive FUTURE plan ... rather than fixating on your CURRENT shrubs ...

ken

I don't think I really need to amend the soil, what's there now looks decent enough health wise. But it's a house we just bought late last year, and the current plantings have been there for about 15 years without much care the whole time. So I'm thinking the bed could use some compost and some lime. I had a soil analysis done recently, and the whole area is very acidic. As for planting in the fall, I hadn't even been considering that. I'm kinda new to this whole scene, and was just assuming spring was the best time for that. But now googling around, I see that fall planting is quite common and maybe even better than spring.

I guess spring vs. fall planting might depend on the plant variety. Varieties we are thinking about are rhododendron, hydrangea, maybe some lavender and salvia (looking around just now, I see these types might be better suited to spring planting); also maybe putting in a camellia and a maple (these might be ok for fall). I think I need to do some specific research for each variety we are considering, and perhaps we can do some in the fall, and then the rest in the spring. Thanks for the heads up on fall planting.

Hey Ken - ha, you are pretty on target about the current varieties (just common, boring holly, barberry, etc. that are kinda overgrown and yes, too close to the house). So yes, I do want to widen the bed and plant farther away from the foundation when it comes time to plant.

How acidic is very acidic? And salvias and lavenders would NOT enjoy the same sort of soil environment or watering regime as the other plants you list. These should be sited elsewhere.

Wait. You are too new to the house to understand what you want to accomplish. Spend the summer figuring out where you want shade, where you want sun, are there any unexpected problems. While you are doing that, you can research plants you like and how to take care of them. You live in an area where a lot of the common plants are acid lovers, and spreading lime willy-nilly isn't something you want to do before you know it is necessary.

pH came back at 4.6

There are plants that do fine with low pH. I think my unamended soil is in that range and Clethra, blueberries, rhodies, Leucathoe, etc are all happy. However, bringing it up some will still allow you to grow acid lovers and have some that are less tolerant of high acidity as well.

I would go with your plan of adding a fair amount of compost to the entire bed as well.