One reason to plant in pots and bury/plunge them is when you want to have the 'show' of tulips but want them out of that patch of ground so you can get ahead for whatever you want to put in for summer. When the flowers finish you CAREFULLY dig them up and move them to another bed or area to continue growing and gathering food for the following season. I stressed 'carefully' because some tulips send out dropper roots which can wiggle through the drainage holes and into the actual ground. Once those roots have gone deep enough then the plant starts to form the new, next-season bulb outside the pot. Break the roots and you're likely to lose the new bulb as well. When the flowers have finished and the leaves are still growing on - then is a good time to give them a side dressing of tomato food (something with potash - even clean wood ash) if you didn't fertilise before planting. Helps to set the next flower and harden off the bulb. Store in a cool dark dry place away from mousies. Check for damage and rot before replanting.

Interesting. Of course everyone does it a little differently. I've never spent any money doing one, (I've done several large ones) but I never add dirt. I don't believe Pat Lanza did either. Also, the Canadians disagree about peat being a renewable resource. They claim their massive bogs are well managed and that they will never run out of peat. You can check out their websites. Personally I don't know, but its fair to give their point of view because it a huge export industry for Canada.

That is beautiful Cameron!!! I'm going to try this here with my beds!! I'm not looking for a perfect edge either, I'm rural as well on 15 acres and taking in land as I put in landscaping. The actual "lawn" area is small (I only had about 50 to 75 feet from the house cleared), I prefer plants and trees to grass to mow. Not to mention all the money I will save and can spend on plants by not buying a bunch of stone or brick to put in for borders!! :-) Hubby LOVES the idea of being able to run the mower right up to the edge of the bed for help with the maintenance. John, how well I know what a pain the weeding is around borders. On my last house (subdivision) I found some absolutely beautiful terra cotta border. I've never found it again, but my fescue crept right into the beds. And I made a beginners mistake of putting in Mint in my herb area. Controlling that was a constant battle!! Where I have the brick now is exactly where I wanted it. I didn't have any sidewalks put in either, I hate concrete poured sidewalks. So I'm putting in one very functional red brick sidewalk to the door we use the most. These beds with the brick border line that sidewalk and give the definition I need to the walk. I want to use stepping stones for the other walkways. Now, what kind of shorter plants would look good at the edge of the beds? That is and do well in full sun? LOL my last house had a lot of shade too, and I'm learning full sun plants now. I'm going to look into some of the mini lillies!

Thanks for the welcoming messages! I think I'm in the right place. Angelclub, I recognized your name and remember your kitchen, too - one of my favorites. MeMo, a neighbor told me we were in Zone 4 - zoned a little cooler than the map would indicate because of strong lake winds, she said. Now that I've determined I'm in the right forum, I'll get pictures this weekend of the yard area I want to work on to post. There is a link to my current Photobucket pics that show the house and its setting in the Finished Kitchens Blog under "amck kitchen" if anyone cares to take a look. I'm so happy to be done with building, and am looking forward to trying my hand at gardening. I've been yearning to do this for years!