"Kay Lancaster" wrote in message
...
I also have a shrub problem. The people who lived here before us
decided to
plant a privacy shrub in the middle of the "flower bed." How the heck
do I
get rid of the thing. We already cut one down but we are left with the

Before you go whacking and chopping, you might want to find out what
you have. Might be something really nice.

Shrubs and trees are typically the backbone of landscaping, with
perennials
and annuals providing most of the color.

Personally, I'd suggest some easy annuals for you this year, and maybe
some easy perennials, while you visit gardens and garden centers and
think about what you'd like your yard to look like and how you're
going to do it.

My nomination for a beginner's full sun perennial that is fairly low care
and hardy in Ohio is garden chrysanthemum. Sun, decent soil, water until
they're well established, and they're good for 20-30 years. Run a
lawnmower
set very high over them in early July if you want lots of flowers instead
of a few big ones.

For beginner annuals for full sun, there are lots of marigolds, ranging
in height from 6 inches to about 3 ft. Dahlias from seed are fun, though
it's a bit late in the year to start them from seed. Sunflowers come in
all sorts of sizes now, and are easy and quick to come from seed, while
petunias are a common and easy plant with lots of colors. A little
fertilizer, a little water, a little deadheading and you can have
quite a show.

A very famous landscape architect was supposed to have said, "Figure out
what you can grow, and then grow lots of it". It's a good rule... a big
bed of petunias tends to be much more impressive than a petunia next to a
salvia, next to a marigold, next to a dusty miller...

Some sites for you: http://ohioline.osu.edu/lines/hygs.html
http://mastergardener.osu.edu/
http://www.buckeyegardening.com/
http://cbgarden.org/

I've mentioned it before, but still my favorite book for beginning
gardeners:
Rodale's Chemical-free Yard and Garden, by Anna Carr et al. Any edition.
Pay special attention to the initial chapters on soil and water.

Gardening can be relatively easy when you spend some time initially on
basics, like building good soil and proper digging of beds initially,
and on choosing plants that will do well with your conditions. It can
be a real backbreaker if you don't pay attention to the basics and choose
unsuitable plants in unsuitable locations.

Kay Lancaster


Thanks for all your help! I appreciate it!!