Hackberry Tree Bed

My Sunday project was creating a bed around our large hackberry tree. I didn't take a "before" picture, so I'll have to describe it. The POs had planted a rugosa rose along the fenceline and an azalea near the base of the tree. The ground cover consisted of spotty grass, henbit, and violets. I added two hostas earlier this year - one variegated and one dark green. It is a difficult spot to mow, so the weeds and grass tended to get very tall and obscure the fuchsia blooms of the rose and azalea. The area had potential but looked messy.

The space gets about 4 hours of morning sun. It is a narrow area, bordered by the sidewalk, driveway, and a fence. To the northwest (right in the photo), the side lawn continues to the end of the property.

I used a rope to mark off the edges of the bed. Because the sod was so patchy, I mostly used a trowel to dig the grass up. Then I added 160 lbs of topsoil to fill in low spots. (One hundred sixty pounds sounds like a lot, but it is only 4 small bags.) I planted 4 lily turf (2 variegated, 2 not) and 2 Lavender Doll daylillies. I topped the bed with mulch and gave the new plants a good soaking. It's no masterpiece, and there is room for more plants, but it looks much neater. (Click on the image to see a larger version, with the plants labeled.)