First year gardening

10 years ago

I have fallen in love with gardening and would never have thought that! I completed my first year of gardening and am now thinking about what I need to do to get ready for this coming season. I have a combination of lilies and petunias. I'm told that the lilies do not need to be pulled out but that the petunias should come out. I've left both in the ground all winter but I'm wondering if the roots will rot? Do I cut them down to ground level and replant new petunias or do I pull the whole plant out and start again ( petunia).

By the end of the summer last year the flower bed was completely over run with purple petunias.... I'm also not certain if petunias are a good combo with lilies... BUT it was my first time :)

Any suggestions from expert gardeners would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Tina :)

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Comments (4)

dowlinggram
10 years ago
Yes the lilies being perennial will come back. They are Asiatic lilies so keep an eye out for the red lily beetle. You can't miss it because it is bright red. Someone else may have a cure for them but I don't. I picked them and squashed them by hand when I had Asiatic lilies until it got too much and then I pulled them all but my stargazer lily. That got rid of them but I keep an eye on my stargazer. So far it hasn't been a problem.

As for the petunias. They are annuals and will be dead. After the winter it should be quite easy to pull the dead plants, cultivate the ground and start anew.

It looks like you may have Portulaca in that bed too. Portulaca is an annual but it's a self seeder. It will have dropped it's seeds so you may see small plants sprouting up
tislater_slater thanked dowlinggram
tislater_slater
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you soo much for your comment! I will start again, and will definitely keep my eyes open for the red beatle. I'm excited to get going on the flower beds! I have another section that has sunlight for about half of the day. I think I will put some begonias there and see what happens
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
10 years ago
It is really helpful if you tell us where you are gardening geographically-speaking, ts. If your petunias haven't disappeared completely over the winter it is presumably somewhere with a mild climate? Although Petunias are treated as annuals they are actually perennials and if your climate is conducive they may come back for you. They can just be trimmed back to tidy them up. But if they are just a ratty mess it is probably best to start again with them.
Tammy Allen
10 years ago
What gardening zone do you live? If not sure then share the state you live in for a more detailed reply.