Don't let them put any landscape fabric under the mulch!
Linda C

Buy a beginning gardening book at a garden center to get the basics...soil, light, fertility, etc. Then read a lot here on Gardenweb. Start small, with easy plants (do a search in the forums). We all learn by experience, and even the most experienced are still making mistakes along with discoveries, so don't try to get it perfect the first year. You can always add on.

Find someone on your street with a nice garden and ask questions. Most gardeners love to share. If you have specific questions, just ask here.

Great tips! What happens if they put landscape fabric under the mulch?

Landscape fabric is designed to keep weeds from growing through the mulch.

Some of it is cheap stuff that degrades in a season, some lasts a few years and some lasts nearly forever.

The problems with it are that some of it doesn't allow any oxygen or moisture through it and so the ground underneath gets in bad shape. Another problem is that over the seasons organic material settles on top of it and breaks down into compost which weeds will grow in.

It isn't really all that terrible, but the only place I would recommend it's use is in areas you don't wish to grow anything, ever, such as under a deck. Under stone mulch is OK too, but why use rocks for mulch if you want to grow things? Stone is a pain to work in.

Anyway, like I said, it isn't the end of the world, but I would skip the fabric in areas you wish to grow things in.

Hey Jen,

My best advice to you as a newbie is to say "Welcome!" and I hope you enjoy gardening.

There is so much to be said that I wouldn't even know where to begin. At the same time gardening is really easy so there isn't much that needs to be said. Sounds contradictary, but it really isn't. You can be very casual and stick some things into the ground that you like and see how they do. Some will live, some will die.

Alternately you can get crazy like some of us and constantly explore new territory, plants, techniques and plant things. Some will live, some will die, LOL.

The first best teacher is experience. Just get your hands in the dirt and get to it regardless of whether you know what you are doing or not. Keep this 'rule' in mind and it will serve you well I believe. When in doubt, do nothing. Let the plant take care of itself.

Ask the landscapers what plants they are putting in. Request they stick plant tags along with the plants or draw you a sketch of what is where along with the names. Look up the names on the net and find out how to care for them. Most landscaper plants are easy to no care plants so they are good to start with.

In addition to the cautions about using weedmat stuff: on a slope it acts like the shiny bed of a children's slide. In rain the mulch starts to move downhill.

A couple of very basics: as far as possible keep your feet off the growing area. Stepping stones or discreet work paths for access need to be fitted into the plan.

Make sure you have a water source nearby to your main gardening area. Hauling huge hosepipes can be so daunting.

Landscape fabric will eventually "silt up" and actually impair the water soaking in....and weeds will grow in that silty mess. It is impossible to add more amendments to and soil that has landscape fabric, once you put down some compost, cover it with that stuff and mulch over it, you are done adding anything to the soil but liquid fertilizer, and your soil literally dies. It gets mucky and gummy, dense. And if you try to pull the fabric up, the plants come with it. If you want to move a plant over about a foot, you will have to widen the hole in the fabric, dig out the plant and cut a new hole. And when you do get weeds growing in it, they are almost inpossible to pull.
It's just much better never to put it down to begin with.

Also, WELCOME!...And ask questions!
I don't know where you live, but if it's zone 6 and above, I would start this fall with spring flowering bulbs, so you will have some sort of flowers next spring.
Linda C