What's the proper way to care for a flower bed?

My husband and I bought a house in September and the flower beds were all pretty and lush. Of coarse winter came and now they are all ugly and brown but, a few flowers have started to make there presence known again. Do I need to DO something to the beds or will every thing come back? (P.S. The only plants that I know were in there was a Dahlia and some kind of bright green ivy kinda stuff. Can I just add new red wood chips on top of the old ones or do I have to Clean it out?) THANK YOU!!!

What's the proper way to care for a flower bed?
The flowers you described, are perennial....They come back year after year. Cut back only the dead growth, don't cut them back to far.....break up the soil around the plants, in order to airate the soil, allowing nutrients to get into the roots easier. Best not to add wood chips, for they can break and damage the new sprouts from your plants. Adding those chips are optional, it's just what you prefer. During the winter time, lay a plastic bag over them, and cover it with a thin layer of dirt, to keep the root base from freezing. Ask your plant supplier what kind of fertilizer to feed them during the summer and winter months.
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Reply:The guy who gave you the other answer..about what types they are...pretty much said it all..... a good flower idenifaction


will help you figure out what they are..


I leave the dead ones there...makes good fertilizer...I live in the N.E...... up here,we use the fallen leaves to cover our


gardens....cheap...and they break down to give an added boost to the plants....rake off the rest in the spring..


What you are seeing...are the plants that died coming back up..


Mulch can be harmful if it has the wrong dyes....you don't have to clean out the old stuff...but wait to see that most of the plants have come up...then it will be safer to add more right on top...mulch breaks down...and adds neutients to the soil....keep in mind...you will have to make sure you water the garden well...as mulch holds it ...too deep %26amp; the roots don't get the water..


Have fun with your garden....
Reply:Tend garden in the nude. Plants love this and so do the neighbors.
Reply:Ideally you could turn the soil and add some sort of soil conditioner to improve the existing soil in the beds. After planting your garden, you could then add wood chips as a mulch. Use organic fertilisers.