Raised Flower Bed

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

In the first positions of the charts of flower beds is a raised flower bed. This type of flower garden is a powerful design touch, makes the site more interesting, well-groomed, and more voluminous. Read the details on how to make such a masterpiece, and how to choose plants

Advantages and disadvantages of a raised flower garden

On a flat area, in order to get away from monotony, you always want to highlight some zones. We try to do this with the help of ornamental shrubs, tall plants. Such options require a competent selection of varieties and species, time for cultivation. The easiest and fastest way is to create a non-standard flower garden, which is raised above the soil horizon by 20-30 cm, and, if desired, up to 1 meter. Such a flower bed has a decorative edging that can hold the ground.

The undoubted advantage of such an object is its durability, the ability to change the type of bulk soil, create several tiers, compose dwarf, ground cover and tall species. Any compositions in tall flower beds look more elegant, details are easily distinguished here. Plants in such beds grow better, the soil warms up well, and it is much easier to care for the plantings.

Disadvantages of flower beds with a height of more than half a meter: in hot weather, more frequent and abundant watering is required. In winter, the probability of freezing of perennials located at the edge of the perimeter of the support wall increases.

How to design a flower garden

The raised flower garden is versatile and can be found anywhere. It is appropriate for small areas, in front areas, on slopes and on any landscapes. Thanks to the design, it suits any style. For example, for country and landscape gardens, logs, wattle or bricks are used for framing. For the Mediterranean style, a multi-level method is used, the supporting walls are made of stone. On parterre lawns, in regular gardens, in ceremonial areas, concrete blocks are used for edging.

The creation of a flower garden, like any construction, begins with the choice of location and size. Based on this, you need to decide on the material for the supporting walls. For rectangular options, choose logs, blocks, boards, natural stone. It is more convenient to make round shapes from bricks and cobblestones.

A flowerbed takes on an interesting look with the simultaneous use of several types of material. Brick and wood are successfully combined, if you chose concrete blocks, then they can be decorated with mosaics or tiled. When placing a flower garden near the house, you should strive for harmony and do the cladding to match the facade of the nearby building.

How to make a raised flower bed

Consider the creation of a classic rectangular flower bed, since it is considered the easiest to build. The facing will be made of bricks. We start with the foundation. We decide on the dimensions and dig a trench along the proposed wall, which will be twice as wide as your brick. For a wall up to half a meter, you need to deepen by 25 cm, if the height is 50-100 cm, you need to dig 30-40 cm.

We fill the bottom with crushed stone, then tamp and concrete. For a high flower bed, the solution layer should be 10-15 cm thick enough. In any case, the foundation should not go beyond the soil horizon. Do it right, so that the top is 10 cm below the ground.

A few days later, after the cement has completely solidified, you can start laying. Low walls can be made by "dry masonry", but with the obligatory strengthening of the corners and bandaging. If your project involves high walls (more than 60 cm), then you will have to use mortar for masonry. By the way, if you decide to make an edging from logs, then you will not need a foundation.

An important point: when laying a wall, you need to make "windows" for water drainage. This is true when watering and during the rainy season. Such gaps are made at the bottom of the side or back, so as not to spoil the view. The intervals for the drain holes are left in 2-3 brick increments.

If your flower bed will be located in a lowland, on a slope, then you will need to think about drainage. For this, the bottom is lined with geotextiles, and a layer of sand with gravel is poured onto it. The thickness of such drainage depends on the characteristics of the soil: the heavier, the thicker the layer. As a rule, 10 cm is sufficient for drainage.

When the walls are ready, you need to take care of the tightness. So that moisture does not spoil the brick and does not pass to the front side, cover the inside with a film, geotextile or any bitumen-based compound.

Plants for raised flower beds

The choice of plants is influenced by the illumination of the site. The more sun comes in, the richer the assortment. If the flower garden is in the shade, partial shade, then marigolds, sage, snapdragon, verbena, petunia, hosta, ageratum will grow well here.

Connoisseurs of graceful beauty use a tall flower garden for ornamental cereals. Giant feather grass, gray fescue, blue moth, Chinese miscanthus, pampas grass look great here.

Framing with natural stone allows you to get an alternative to rock garden. With this desire, alpine plants are planted at the very edge, they soften the severity of the stone. In this composition, dwarf conifers will be an expressive accent: spruce, juniper, pine.