I think of topsoil as "junk" soil really. If you want to amend, I would add some compost and Soil Pep (it's a very fine bark mulch). The other thing you could do to feed worms is put a layer of cardboard on top of that dirt, wet it down thoroughly and keep moist for about a week. I weigh it down with a few big rocks. Then add a layer of good garden soil (I like soil that calls itself "Raised bed soil" and then a top layer of mulch (whichever kind of mulch you prefer). When you are ready to plant, dig holes accordingly. You may have to cut through the cardboard in some spots kind of how you cut through landscape fabric but much easier. Worms love cardboard and it will biodegrade by next season .

P.S. I see your hydrangea there and I'm quite envious!

http://www.hostalists.org/hosta_list_sth.php

aw come on.. 3 feet wide ... how about you go make it 6 or 9 ... focus on the important part .. more hosta ....

i grew in yellow sand.. there is no reason for you to waste money on adding anything to that soil ... save the money for the extra hosta you will need for the wider bed ...

perfect sun ... full and bright until the heat of mid day ...

i used to go out just after a rain.. and collect a few of the worms ont eh driveway ... before the birds got them.. and just tossed them in my beds .... not unlike field of dreams... just build it.. and they will come ...

do add some good mulch.. to avoid spring weeding ...

now go do the right thing ....

ken

I agree with popmama and Ken. Add compost and make the bed at least twice as deep. I add 5-6 inches of mushroom compost or homemade if I have enough when I am putting in a new bed. No worms is a sign of very poor soil. How far out does the step go?

Good suggestions,both of you! Ken I cannot handle 6-9 feet, that would almost be my entire yard! I live in a 1935 brick and lannon stone house, beds on all 4 sides. Every single time we dig, we find lannon stone. All of a sudden I hear “clink” and I have no idea how big the clink is going to be. Some have weighed 40-50 pounds! My poor little back just can’t handle it......truly getting injection tomorrow. So maybe you have some hosta ideas for me???

Popmama, love the cardboard idea.....who knew? If you want to be envious of the tree——here enjoy

Queen Josephine is a wonderful choice for a sunny spot. It's one of my favorite hostas!

it's a yard wide, 14 feet long. More suggestions of sun plants too.

Holy smokes that hydrangea is gorgeous. I love the way you have it pruned as well. I am so so so envious. That's a triple-envy! They are not very easy to grow here so we tend to covet them. I know this isn't the hydrangea forum, but are those smaller ones in the background? I currently have a hydrangea obsession.

could be sedums..just guessing..that hydrangea is gorgeous!

I cannot handle 6-9 feet, that would almost be my entire yard!

==>> do you really need that little bit of grass .. lol ...

what you have is fine ... i was just discussing 'more' now ... rather than later ... and youve made your decision ... good enough ...

if you could figure out how to attach a trellis on either side of the windows ... a couple clematis might give you 2 nice verticals ... to tone down the structure of the windows ...

as to hosta.. you either go with a few monsters ... or a collection of smalls ... i dont think the bed is wide enough ... to try to intersperse both ...

ken

My two most sun worthy are Squash Casserole and So Sweet.

bkay

Fragrant Bouquet does really good in a heavy sunspot. Initially was a shadier location but a tree came down so I left the hosta and added a few roses. Both are doing well, I think

I’ll show the rose directly behind so you kinda get an idea on sun exposure

Fragrant Bouquet didn’t come through, I’ll try again

plantaginea.. will take all that sun in WI ...

plus it has 6 inch pure white intensely fragrant flowers... which open in the afternoon

might nicely perfume the porch in the evening ...

plus it grows like a weed ... apple green leaves ...

the mother of all fragrant hosta ....

ken

So many choices, so little space. I like Frozen Margarita, Wave Runner and Honey Bear to showcase different shades of green with variegation with some great yellows in between - Maya Swingtime, Jessica Alba (Effervescence) and some little red/purple heucheras in front. Although, it would be better to have another foot of width. Should handle the sun and get some really cool shades in the apple green -> chartreuse -> yellow spectrum.

We always add lots of mushroom compost to the soil that we bring in for new beds. Our soil is clay and has lots of shale so we have to bring in soil. Never tried the cardboard but when we put down newspapers, grass just ran roots underneath it--we are ripping out all the daylilies in that bed and now lots of grass roots. We haven't had a good rain storm in weeks so our soil is very dry, even watering often doesn't help that much. Hope to get some rain so that we can get out the weeds and plant some new stuff soon.

Thank you to popmama, Ken and miles for suggestions about amending the soil. Nicholsworth, you’re correct, those are sedum in the tree background.. Thanks to ademink for showing me the hosta lists. Miles, I am feeling your pain, Bert and I dug out the entire length of the next door House, about 9 feet deep years ago where those awful orange ones are almost impossible to kill. We double covered in wee paper for two years, then planted but constantly had to pull the bulbs and there insidious runners out. It can be done.

There are so many things I have found and learned to use this summer on the site that I didn’t know about or how to use before. I’m learning. All the suggestions of sun plant esp. fragrant ones are all appreciated. Ken and Steve, you have put an idea of adding one and only one foot to the bed. And if I take the astilbe out (in my yard I can’t grow astilbe well)

I could elongate the be to 16-17 feet long and put a nice big Sun hosta next to my Weeping Fir. What do ya think??

Frozen Margarita is apple green with thin white margin, fragrant and gets big fast! It would fill the space by your Weeping Fir and complement the color.

A very sun tolerant and fancy hosta for me is Leather and Lace. It would fit perfectly in 3'

BTW worms are an invasive species. Don't add them.

Umm, what do you mean worms are invasive species, don’t add them?

Earthworms

Ken and Steve, you have put an idea of adding one and only one foot to the bed.

===>>> plant a seed.. and see what comes of it.. lol ... [i mean the idea of adding more room]

Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions. I am going to enlarge the bed to 4 feet and amend the soil now. I need to cover the soil with something because it looks like one big potty to my yard cats, But I will not plant until next Memorial Day. I can visit nurseries and pick out my plants then, rather than order. I don’t live far from Land of the Giants So I think I will hopefully find what I want there. After reading the earthworm article (which everyone should read) that says these invasive worms have been found in Madison, about 70 miles from here, I am sure I currently do not have these jumping worms but don’t want them to come either. With the cardboard idea, is it possible “they” would come or would I just get get more of what I have. Remember I live in Milwaukee and the Madison worms were found in the Madison Arboretum. Who ever thought worms could cause such a problem?

I was unaware that worms could be a problem..I move them carefully out of the way when I find them as I dig..I have no idea what kind they are..

NW, me too! I always thought worms were a good thing!

Who knew? One bad worm moves into the neighborhood and all the other worms get blamed........ :-)