Dressing Up Garden Beds

Now is a great time to dress up those garden beds in need of a facelift.

Always start by calling 811 at least three business days before putting the first shovel in the ground. They’ll have the underground utilities in your work area marked. This helps eliminate the danger and inconvenience of accidently knocking out power, cable or other utilities.

And remember to look up. Avoid planting trees and large shrubs under overhead utilities that may grow into the wires when they reach their mature size. This can cause a hazardous situation and result in severe pruning that leaves you with an unnatural looking plant.

Now that you know the areas to avoid, start looking for opportunities to add color, texture and a bit of bird and butterfly appeal to your landscape. Identify areas in need of seasonal color, winter interest or screening to mask bad views.

A bit more information: Use areas under transmission lines for low growing pollinator friendly plants. These contiguous corridors allow birds, butterflies and bees to efficiently gather food while providing year-round shelter and places to raise their young.