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David Hill · 10-05-2013, 10:33 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On 10/05/2013 22:18, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Fri, 10 May 2013 13:06:45 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

New gardener here - please go easy on me. We into a home a couple of years ago with a 1/4 acre landscaped lot, with a number of garden beds mostly with perennials, some evergreens, rhodos, bamboo - quite an assortment.

For the last two years all we have done is prune, fertilize and add leaf mulch to the bed tops. We are unsure whether the hoe/turn-over the beds or not. Around each plant there are obviously some shallow root systems and wonder whether we should even bother with this. Is it recommended to turn over the first few inches each year in these non-vegetable perennial beds or not?

Help appreciated...

Larry

Sounds like you're doing just fine. You're looking after your plants
by mulching, feeding and pruning where appropriate. There's no need to
hoe or turn over the surface of the beds; the mulch itself will
improve the quality of the topsoil as the worms take it down. As long
as the plants are all healthy and doing what you want them to, and as
long as you're keeping weeds under control, you don't need to do much
else.

I presume you mean a house new to you and not a residential/care home.
I know when my mother had to go into a home there were a couple of
residents who loved gardening and were allowed a free hand (Within reason)