New house, beginner at all things green

[brodtaylor]

Hey there, my wife and I bought our first house last July and the front flower bed (is that what you call it? It has bushes, not flowers) was a mess! It's full of rocks on top and throughout the dirt and the bushes are dying. We let it go through the fall/winter with hopes of repairing it in the spring. It is now spring, but I have no clue what to do.

I would like to get rid of the old bushes and get something new... we live in Virginia, so I'm not sure what an "easy" bush to grow would be. Also, a friend recommended we dig up all the old soil and resoil it with some from home depot or Lowes.

So I'm wondering... how deep should I dig it out, and how high up should I resoil it? Also, any suggestions on a nice easy-to-maintain bush that would grow well in VA's climate?

I have absolutely 0 gardening knowledge... I am a 25-year-old first time home owner!

[bullthistle]

Go to a garden center and learn about plants if they have labels. Start a compost pile or purchase manure and mix it in with existing soil. Evergreens would be a good start nothing that will grow and hide your windows.