Check out the very wonderful "Fine Gardening" magazine, and also Better Homes and Garden. They should be available locally and at your library. Browse through back issues. (Both magazines have websites that are okay)

Take an afternoon and wander through a good local nursery. There are many in your area. Take a day trip up to White Flower Farms in Litchfield, CT or some of the really fantastic nurseries in the metro NY area. You are lucky that you are near some great places. (You may choose not to purchase at one of these high end places, but they have great displays and knowledgeable staff that will be a big help.)

There are some terrific books too that will be inspiring and helpful. I could NOT do without "Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Perennials", (it's far more useful than it sounds). I also love my "Creating Beds and Borders", by the Fine Gardening magazine people, "Perennial All-Stars" is a good handy beginner's guide, There are literally thousands of great books available.

Clean out your current beds, cut in the edges with a spade for a nice neat look, and MULCH them. Mulching will go a long way to helping maintain your existing gardens. Get rid of the poison ivy and also possibly the "bamboo"...if it is actually the invasive japanese knotweed it is AWFUL, invasive and just awful, awful, start trying to eradicate in now or it will invade everything.

Start a few containers (a good transition for a houseplant person to an outdoor gardener). And have fun beginning on this wonderful hobby. You can look forward to many more springs of "gardening fever".

B,

Thanks for the response and the advice! I will certainly check out the books and magazines you mention, and start taking trips for inspiration. Some questions though (and I apologize in advance for my ignorance, but again, I know NOTHING about outdoor gardening) - how do I clean? and what is/how does one mulch??? Thanks again,

M

Visit the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens or if you drive to L.I. stop in at some nurseries or stroll through the city parks, like Bryant. Mulch helps keep the weeds down, not poison ivy, and retains the moisture in the soil. Try to dig up the poison ivy and use gloves when handling it. Try annuals first so you get the hang of planting plants and watch them grow.

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials

Even garden cleaning can be a fun exercise. Just means preparing a bed by removing weeds, grasses and anything else you don't want in there. If the mint has spread all over, you might want to start trying to eliminate some of that. If you come across something you can't identify and can post pictures, the Name that Plant or Name that Weed forums are very helpful.

A layer of mulch on top of your cleaned beds and around existing plants and shrubs (though not so thick around plant bases as to suffocate them) will keep weeds down and help retain moisture. It also adds a nice finishing touch to garden beds. Mulch comes in chunks of varying sizes or in shreds and in colors - the natural brown smaller chunks or shredded bark type mulches are much more pleasing than the red or orange dyed ones. Can be purchased by the big bag at any of the big boxes more inexpensively than at nurseries and garden centers. Some municipalities have compost sites where mulch is offered free for the taking.

Are your existing beds clearly defined - around the yard perimeter, against the foundation, in an island in the middle of the lawn? Lots of sun or shade? Do you have fences to separate you from the neighbors? Is there a patio or any other kind of hardscaping? Is this a front yard or back yard or both?

Thanks again for all of the advice.

Yes, the existing beds are defined along the edges of the garden, roughly delineated by stones and bricks here and there, and there is a tall chain link fence separating my yard from the neighbors' backyards (though no one else on the block has any greenery at all, just concrete), and from a schoolyard behind the yard. Grass has begun growing in the center, and when I took a look around yesterday, I saw a lot more growth - tulips and some very fragrant, lemony, low-growing shrubs (lemon balm? I'm not sure). The beds receive southern and eastern light, and there is one corner (S) that receives bright light throughout the day. I plan to start there, and I was considering planting tomatoes or other vegetables since it's the sunniest location. However, it IS a bit difficult to reach since it's in a corner. I planted a sage plant last summer and I have to hop and skip around other plants to get to it.

madres - before you begin working in your garden, I highly suggest learning to identify poison ivy. Look at lots of pictures online, and then handle it with great care. It is at its most dangerous first thing in the spring, when its sap is running and the new leaves are heavily coated in urishiol. If possible, wait until the fall or winter to get rid of it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Some info I wrote on poison ivy removal

Since you asked, here is a link to pictures of what I have been working on in my own yard. I'm adraid it's all still bare-looking at the moment! But with any luck I'll have masses of flowers in a few months. . . *crosses fingers*

Here is a link that might be useful: another clueless gardener at work. . .