On 24 July, 15:01, sharon wrote:
Hi

I'm moving into a new place next month and it's got a garden )

It's only a small lawn with a couple of borders, no more than 30 ft
square, but up till now I've only ever lived in flats so it's my first
garden...

Basically, what should I do with the border? I was thinking of planting
up some bulbs for next spring then putting some bedding plants in next
summer... but I don't want to dig up the bulbs after they flower if
they'll come back every year like daffodils. So should I plant the bulbs
in the back half of the border and put the bedding plants in the front?

Bedding plants are normally annuals, and can be planted after the
daffs have died back. Whilst you can't plant exactly "on top" of trhe
bulbs, you can be quite close. Put a little stick next to each set of
bulb leaves as you tidy them up, to remind you where they are.

The others have given you the normal advice, I'd suggest much the
same, except - Mend the fences first. If you have to repair any
fencing at the back of the beds, or treat or colour them, then do that
before you plant anything. You won't be trampling things or dancing
between them.

Think about where the beds are, and where the shade is. It might make
sense at this stage to exchange beds for grass, or grass for beds, or
for pattio or decking, if you want. You can even cut your existing
lawn into turfs and move them to a fine, flat, well prepared, well
raked bit of flowerbed. Feed and water to help them get over the
shock.

If the beds are bare, get straight in there and dig in as much well-
rotted compost as you can get your hands on, even buying bags of it if
you can afford to. Improve the drainage and the structure while you
can. If they are stale or heavily compacted, you might want to
double-dig in whatever you have scrounged.