How do I get my yard ready for planting flowers and plants?

OK I am new at all this and I already killed some poor innocent tulips, so please stop the madness.I dont know if I what I need to use to plant hostas, like fertilizer manure soil compost. Do I use one or two or all and if I am planting flowers and plants in the same area do I need to use one thing in one area and a dif thing in the other area, AHHHHHH I am a messs but I want flowers!!!!

How do I get my yard ready for planting flowers and plants?
You don't say where your from. Depending on your area and the type of soil you have there are a million different answers to your question. There are some good web sites out there. Try garden.org ,gardenweb.com, or learn2grow.com. It would probably help you even more if you went to your local garden shop and asked them. They are usually very willing to help you get started. Don't start too big though or you might be overwhelmed and just give up. Just plant a small garden this year and add more next year. My garden/gardens have been "evolving" for twenty some years. If I can be of any more assistance just email me.
Reply:well depending on where you are it would really be worth the effort to run a soil test to see what it is exactly that you want. nex you need to know what plants and flowers you are going to add to your garden. most plants and flowers that are easy to manage like fast draining soil, this can be acheived by working in organinc material and manure, if you're soil is hard and difficult to work with i would wet it regularly until soil is soft or in extreme cases cover the area with a mulch and keep moist until you can dig to the depth you wish. also you said you were planting tulips if you are planting spring tulips from bulbs you will need to plant those in the fall. if planting from sprouted pots you can go ahead and plant those in the spring. when planting bulbs make sure you add some kind of fertelizer in the bottom as the bulbs have food for the first year but will need some sort of additive to promote further growth. once they have flowered and the flower is dead cut off the dead bud because you will waste let it go to seed. cutting off the dead flower will save enrgey for next years flowers. if you planted them in a group after they bloom there will definitely be an empty space and you should plant something in its space. Annuals are recommended as they last a year or less so they wont disturb the bulbs in the spring. some esay annuals that i have had succesful growing would be Marigolds and Forget me nots. if you want plants that will last you more than a year you will have to buy biennials which last more than a year but about or a little bit less than two years. or perrennials that last several years. a must have in every garden would be the ornamental poppy once it flowers and goes into dormance it will die back but the roots stay alive and will come back next spring. always remeber tto keep your plants happy keep in consideration their watering , sunlight and fertelizing needs. hope this was helpful

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