If you've got more time than energy, like I do, smothering and lasagna is the easiest way to start a new garden bed for free, or almost. Sooo much easier than digging up grass. Just spread newspaper (about 10 sheets thick) or cardboard, overlapping well, until the area you want to be a bed is covered. Then cover the paper with 4-6" of finely shredded mulch and wait for the grass to die, usually 4-6 weeks but could be longer for some grasses. I've done this many, many times. My latest one is really ugly but I'm just trying to make lemonade out of lemons with this one... drought (probably aided by grubs) killed the grass here so I decided that would be the new sunny front bed I was considering. I did dig out a little spot that had hardly any grass and put some Cannas and Gladiolus there, a tiny baby maple tree, some Hibiscus cuttings which still just look stupid 'cuz they're "dead" sticks in the ground, then kind of working around it with smothering, and bark chips, which aren't my preference but I had them available. They don't stay in place if it ever rains really hard. Anyway, with this, I'm not planning to leave the bark chips there, they're just making sure the newspaper is held firmly to the contours of the ground to block the air and light from reaching the grass, which is what is needed to kill it. Whenever I can find more shredded hardwood, I'll replace the bark chips. Anyway, the newspaper decomposes and does not need to be removed later, just dig through it to add plants in the ground. I've also smothered grass with stuff that was handy, but does have to be removed to use the bed, like sheets of metal, old egg crate mattress topper, the bags of mulch that will cover the spot, whatever's handy. I think it's easier to wait for the grass to die than dig it up, and I don't mind if it has to get more ugly in the process of getting more pretty. One other benefit of smothering with a leave-in-place substance like paper or cardboard is that the weed seeds that may be in the ground are unable to germinate as they might be if you just dug up the grass and/or tilled. The lasagna comes into play if you add amendment layers to your smothering. For example, you could put the paper/cardboard, then kitchen scraps, ready to use compost, leaves, yard trimmings, whatever organic material (OM) that is handy, then the mulch (or not, if the other stuff is a thick enough layer to hold the paper in place and block the light.) It's not necessary to have lasagna layers when smothering, but when planting later, there's a huge improvement if a lot of OM was placed there. AND, while you're waiting, you can set potted plants there... I wrote this for someone complaining about clay, which you probably also have in ID so will paste it here also. Some of this is redundant... Before I moved to AL, I started many new gardens in OH, in the sub-clay they leave after removing the top soil, when making a housing...

I'm sorry about the double post (again!!). This is what happens when I rush. I think I refreshed the page I posted on earlier and it posted again. Anyway, Chad I've lost some in the ground before out in the open (undulata,sileri- maculosa hybrid (i think - have to check the hybrid), and maculosa, but they may have been too small. The undulata and hybrid have been in the ground, but an overhang protects from the rain for several years now - still no flowers, but they are fine. It's interesting what you say about undulata 'Chocolate Chips' because I find my undulata looks the least messy in the ground, even in the winter. I grew it from seed, so perhaps it's the case that something else is in there - don't know. I really wish mine would flower!

Hey Josh...yes I had just watered them before I took the pics...I will wait a while before I water them again....maybe mist then water a little...They did have roots when I recieved...some did not..I will just mist the unrooted ones... MrLike2u...thanks for the compliments... I really am fascinated by the icicles as well...especially hanging down from the fake ones!!! LOL...Mother nature said that "she" could do a better job than the fake ones!!! The light at night behind the icicles is just beautiful!! I wish that I could capture that ....But since they were measuring over 4 feet long...my son decided to take care of them this afternoon!!! Good thing bets were not called in yet!!! LOL... Katkuskris....the white Ghost was potted in the glued mediumof pebbles...that bothered me, but i had to buy it...I loved the color..I cannot see anys signs of it being grafted...Like my Plumerias that are grafted, you can see the graft line...could it be under the pebbles...would you recommend this spring to break the pot and repot in the 5-1-1-mix? I have been trying to study about the different mixes...and am ready to start with new mixes come spring! I have located a nursery located an hour away that has turface and other special ingredients that will be helpful...so I know that my medium is not that great...but I am a "newbie here on this C & S forum, but ready to commit to repotting the right way!!! Thank you guys for the input!!! Happy new year to you too Christopher!!! Everyone else of course as well!!! Stay warm... Laura in VB

Hey indy - you have a lot of lovely things happening in your yard, and it is obvious that you have done a lot of work. Mulch does make everything look neat and tidy, and gives one the impression that the plants have happy feet! I'm curious about the day lilies on the north side of your house. Do they get any sun? Jan