YardSmart Design - Garden Bed for Partial Sun
Spring brings the prairie crocus with its soft leaves and lavender blossoms. Mid-summer through to late fall, the garden explodes in a riot of blue globethistle, gold and red daisies, and brilliant red sedum abuzz with bees and butterflies.
Need help designing your garden?
Use our step-by-step online guides on planting beautiful and low maintenance garden beds which work in all areas of your yard:
Tips for successful planting
Before you begin:
- Use the YardSmart Planning and Design Guide at calgary.ca/YardSmart to ensure this design suits your yard conditions.
- Use a good depth of quality soil.
3 Ways to Remove Lawn
- In fall, smother the lawn by covering with several layers of damp newspaper, or cardboard. Top with compost or soil to keep wet. Plant in the springtime.
- Dig up the sod, flip it over so the grass is facing downwards, and cover with soil so no grass shows. Let sit for a month. Top with compost or new soil before planting.
- Put a 10 cm layer of compost and new soil on top of the grass to smother it. Ideally, wait a few weeks for grass to die, or plant right away ensuring there is no grass exposed after planting.
How to install a garden bed
- Ensure the plants and the area to be planted are watered well.
- Lay the plants out on the prepared bed following the planting map provided. Space them according to the tags’ description of plant width at maturity.
- Dig the holes approximately twice the width of the pot and the same depth.
- Remove the plant from its pot and carefully loosen and remove some of the soil so the roots can be spread outwards.
- Place plant in hole and fill with soil. Ensure the base of the plant stem is level with the ground. Water well.
- Add a layer of mulch, keeping it away from the stem of the plant.
Water requirements
- Keep perennials well-watered for the first year or two (approx. 2.5 cm water/week or until soil is moist to the base of the root system, 1-2 inches down).
- Shrubs need regular watering for the first 2-3 years. Use a drip hose spiralled around the root area to irrigate. Every week, 15-20 minutes is sufficient.
- In following years, all plants will be drought tolerant and only need water after 2-3 weeks of hot dry weather with little to no rainfall.
Reminders
- Keep soil covered with mulch and remove weeds.
- Fast growing plants usually require division every 3–5 years.
How to winterize:
- Leave perennial foliage until spring to catch snow and provide food and shelter for birds and beneficial insects.
- Fallen leaves make great mulch so can be left in garden beds.
- For shrubs, water well in the fall until the ground freezes.
Design for Partial Sun
Based on a garden 5.3 m (17’5”) by 4.2 m (13’4”)