>> I have often heard to have a great flower bed is prepare
Sandra, I agree. Actually, I enjoy improving the soil more than I enjoy planting and weeding!
Giving yourself plenty of time to prepare the bed will pay off next year. The first time I heard the gardening adage
"don't plant a $5 plant in a $1 hole",
it was:
"don't plant a 25 cent plant in a 5 cent hole".
Adding bagged compost to soil now will improve it for next spring. Or better, start making compost now! The easiest way to make compost would be to spot-compost right in the future bed, or sheet-compost on top of it.
