This is my first time doing my own garden, advice please!?

I want to put down the red bark/mulch type stuff because i don't have as much time as i should for weeding, and it matches the color of my house, what plants can I plant with this? Can I still plant flowers? Do I have to put down fertilizer with the plants first (i am digging up and re-doing a pre-existing garden) and then cover it with mulch?This is my first time doing my own garden, advice please!?
You can plant just about anything with much, so long as the body of the plant is big enough that it can rise above the much bed. Fertilizer may or may not be needed, but that is more dependent upon your existing soil characteristics than on the much. Mulch will reduce evaporation and thereby decrease the amount of water needed for irrigation.





I stay away from pine mulch in most cases because it will lower the pH of the soil, unless I am using it on plants that prefer more acidic soil.This is my first time doing my own garden, advice please!?
My advise is to go to the library and get books on gardening. You can see many different styles and ways of doing a neat garden. I like to put down a bunch of newspapers and dig holes where I'm going to plant. Then add the mulch. This cuts down on weeds even more. It would be to your advantage to check out the different plants and how much sun each needs and their heights so it looks organized.
You also need to be aware of what plants do well in full sun, what do well in partial sun and what plants need shade.





You also need to be aware of what does well in your area. Many times nurseries will have plants that look great but just aren't suited for your climate.





Also be aware of which plants are annuals, they only live for one season. An perennials, they come back every year.
Good question. I have bark mulch and i use the red cedar kind. it is very nice. you don't have to put fertilizer down if you don't want to but it might help your plants with a little more nutrients. you might also want to go and buy the black plastic that you lay down first to stop the weeds from coming up. then as you plant you cut a small hole in the plastic just big enough to plant you flowers or W.H.Y . Then once everything is planted make sure you have enough bark mulch to cover your flower beds and sprinkle it around your flowers/ plants so as not to damage them and then you can add bigger quantities in the open areas. then even it all out and then presto. you are done. you can plant lots of different plants in your flower beds while using bark mulch. Rhodo's, hydrangea, geraniums, primulas, pansies, roses etc. best wishes on your first garden.
. what i did was broke up the ground then i would lay out my fertilizer then plant my flowers any the i wanted and then i went to my father n laws ad got some cedar shaving and dust and layed it out it is very pretty and professional looking after wards.. cheep and easy. it works real good on weeds it smuthers them