1. Here is the U-shaped flower bed plotted on the coordinate grid:
A(-7, -4), B(-7, 5), C(-3, 5), D(-3, 0), E(1, 0), F(1, 5), G(5, 5), H(5, -4)
```
H(5, -4) G(5, 5)
F(1, 5) | C(-3, 5)
E(1, 0) D(-3, 0)
A(-7, -4) B(-7, 5)
```
2. To calculate the perimeter of the flower bed, we need to add up the lengths of each side.
Side AB: The distance between A and B is 9 (5 - (-4)).
Side BC: The distance between B and C is 4 (-3 - (-7)).
Side CD: The distance between C and D is 5 (0 - 5).
Side DE: The distance between D and E is 4 (1 - (-3)).
Side EF: The distance between E and F is 5 (5 - 0).
Side FG: The distance between F and G is 4 (5 - 1).
Side GH: The distance between G and H is 9 (5 - (-4)).
Now, add up all the side lengths:
Perimeter = AB + BC + CD + DE + EF + FG + GH
Perimeter = 9 + 4 + 5 + 4 + 5 + 4 + 9
Perimeter = 40 feet
Therefore, the perimeter of the flower bed is 40 feet.
3. To find the area of the flower bed, we can split it into two shapes - a rectangle and a right triangle.
The rectangle has dimensions 4 units by 8 units, so the area of the rectangle is:
Area_rectangle = length * width
Area_rectangle = 4 * 8
Area_rectangle = 32 square feet
The right triangle has base 4 units and height 4 units, so the area of the right triangle is half the area of the rectangle:
Area_triangle = 0.5 * base * height
Area_triangle = 0.5 * 4 * 4
Area_triangle = 8 square feet
Now, add the areas of the rectangle and the triangle together to get the total area of the flower bed:
Total Area = Area_rectangle + Area_triangle
Total Area = 32 + 8
Total Area = 40 square feet
Therefore, the area of the flower bed is 40 square feet.