Create a New Bed in a Flash!

Want to transform a patch of grass into a new bed in less than 2 hours for very little cost and absolutely NO digging? Here's a quick tip from the Pillywiggins' own backyard.

I had acquired a cement garden bench that needed to find a home within my landscaping. We have a beautiful birch tree next to an old clump of lilac a few feet off the back of our patio beds. It was the perfect spot for my bench and a new bed but I was hesitant to add to Jason's "Honey-Do List." He's been so busy and it's been so hot...

Carving a bed out of lawn by hand while carefully avoiding the birch & lilac roots is no easy task! So imagine my surprise when on a hot Sunday afternoon Jason said, "I'm tired of mowing around the birch & lilac. Let's put a new bed there."

​And voila! In a little over an hour's time a new bed appeared!

I "dug it" but Jason didn't. Instead, he used materials we had on hand and a few "down & dirty" landscaping tricks.

• Black plastic & landscape fabric are the industry standards for weed barrier, but it's pricy. We used cardboard boxes as our weed barrier. It will work just as well, it's biodegradable and FREE! (Thick layers of wet newspaper work too!)
• Cover the entire area with cardboard. Use a carpet knife to trim the cardboard into the desired shape. Leave space around the root of any trees, shrubs or plants.
• Apply a thick layer of mulch over the cardboard. It's ok to mulch lightly around the base of trees & shrubs but don't let the mulch touch the bark of the tree. And for Pillywiggin's sake, please don't build "mulch volcanos" around them! We see this mistake made all the time, even by professionals.

We'll introduce hosta & Cora Bell to the bed next spring. We have a few clumps that will be ready to split by then. (Free plants!) For now, I think it looks nice mulched and the slight curve to the bed makes it so much easier to mow around. I'm happy to wait while the cardboard & grass break down. (Free compost!) The cardboard will be easy to dig through come spring.

There you have it. Nothing fancy, just a cheap, easy project to add some extra appeal to your yard.

Now, if I could only find a spot for my latest yard sale treasure...