10 Inspiring Ideas for Raised Beds
Raised beds are a popular feature in many gardens, but are you thinking outside the box for yours?
A planting area edged with horizontal railway sleepers or a low brick wall is a common sight in many a stylish garden. But these ways of building a bed in which to grow decorative plants, vegetables or herbs are just the tip of the ideas iceberg.
Be inspired by some of the creative ways designers have installed raised beds in these plots and see which might work in your space.
Be inspired by some of the creative ways designers have installed raised beds in these plots and see which might work in your space.
Build with brick
Here’s another brickwork bed. In contemporary gardens, bricks are often rendered for a slick, modern look, but here, choosing a dark brick is in keeping with the feel of the rest of the space.
If you’re going for dark bricks, consider how much your mortar colour will affect the final look, and ask your landscaper to choose a similarly dark shade to keep things streamlined.
See how to create different zones in your garden.
Here’s another brickwork bed. In contemporary gardens, bricks are often rendered for a slick, modern look, but here, choosing a dark brick is in keeping with the feel of the rest of the space.
If you’re going for dark bricks, consider how much your mortar colour will affect the final look, and ask your landscaper to choose a similarly dark shade to keep things streamlined.
See how to create different zones in your garden.
Build into bench seating
An all-in-one bench and bed arrangement is a good one for small spaces. It will also provide depth and movement in a standard boxy patch.
Choose from a huge range of materials and finishes for this sort of thing, from brick to render to decking and sleepers or reclaimed scaffold planks. A good garden designer will have plenty of tricks to tailor one perfectly to the style of your outdoor space.
Search the directory for garden designers in your area.
An all-in-one bench and bed arrangement is a good one for small spaces. It will also provide depth and movement in a standard boxy patch.
Choose from a huge range of materials and finishes for this sort of thing, from brick to render to decking and sleepers or reclaimed scaffold planks. A good garden designer will have plenty of tricks to tailor one perfectly to the style of your outdoor space.
Search the directory for garden designers in your area.
This is a parallel version of the same sort of idea. Here, a floating wooden bench is mixed with white painted render for the visible parts of the raised beds.
Note how the simple trick of varying the height of the rendered beds creates interest in this compact square garden.
Note how the simple trick of varying the height of the rendered beds creates interest in this compact square garden.
Don’t be square
Unusual angles for raised beds will often make them a focal point in a garden. Also, if you have a small or awkward-shaped plot, boxy raised beds can really get in the way, but if you liberate yourself by thinking in jaunty angles, you may be able to free up pathways and vistas more easily.
Unusual angles for raised beds will often make them a focal point in a garden. Also, if you have a small or awkward-shaped plot, boxy raised beds can really get in the way, but if you liberate yourself by thinking in jaunty angles, you may be able to free up pathways and vistas more easily.
Hedge your bets
OK, so these aren’t really raised beds, but the visual effect is very similar – except that everything, borders included, are green.
Hedging has been used to surround parterre beds. It’s an approach often seen in the sprawling gardens of stately homes and, as such, is pretty advanced gardening.
To get it right, hiring a garden designer to plan your layout, build your beds and plant your hedging is likely to be a wise investment.
What happens when you hire a garden designer?
OK, so these aren’t really raised beds, but the visual effect is very similar – except that everything, borders included, are green.
Hedging has been used to surround parterre beds. It’s an approach often seen in the sprawling gardens of stately homes and, as such, is pretty advanced gardening.
To get it right, hiring a garden designer to plan your layout, build your beds and plant your hedging is likely to be a wise investment.
What happens when you hire a garden designer?
Try a trough
Farming equipment is often easily repurposed into planters and flowerbeds. Searching for terms such as ‘galvanised trough’ should turn up some gems, or ask your garden designer for good sources.
Farming equipment is often easily repurposed into planters and flowerbeds. Searching for terms such as ‘galvanised trough’ should turn up some gems, or ask your garden designer for good sources.
Pick a pipe
Once you tap into the world of agricultural and urban planning equipment, you’ll realise you’ve hit a rich seam of oversized receptacles.
These striking raised beds use galvanised culvert piping, which is essentially the sort of pipe that carries water underground.
Once you tap into the world of agricultural and urban planning equipment, you’ll realise you’ve hit a rich seam of oversized receptacles.
These striking raised beds use galvanised culvert piping, which is essentially the sort of pipe that carries water underground.
Take a tank
Perhaps a little easier to get hold of is a galvanised water tank, as seen in this garden.
These work especially well for building beds when more than one is used and they’re positioned together to create corners and interesting shapes.
And why stop at one material for your bed building? In this plot, the designer has also created one using railway sleepers. The two textures, both weathered, complement each other very well.
Perhaps a little easier to get hold of is a galvanised water tank, as seen in this garden.
These work especially well for building beds when more than one is used and they’re positioned together to create corners and interesting shapes.
And why stop at one material for your bed building? In this plot, the designer has also created one using railway sleepers. The two textures, both weathered, complement each other very well.
Beautify an old bath
Antique claw-foot baths aren’t often cheap, even those in a fairly bad state of repair. But with this idea, it’s those you should ask your garden designer to source for you.
A bath is an excellent size for a raised bed and you could happily fill it with ornamental plants or blooms, as here, or use it as a tiny kitchen garden, growing herbs, lettuces or even tomatoes.
For even smaller spaces, try old butler’s sinks to repurpose in a similar way.
Antique claw-foot baths aren’t often cheap, even those in a fairly bad state of repair. But with this idea, it’s those you should ask your garden designer to source for you.
A bath is an excellent size for a raised bed and you could happily fill it with ornamental plants or blooms, as here, or use it as a tiny kitchen garden, growing herbs, lettuces or even tomatoes.
For even smaller spaces, try old butler’s sinks to repurpose in a similar way.
Turn a good idea on its head
Since raised beds are so often fairly low to the ground, when wood is employed, you’ll typically see it forming horizontal rows. At the far end of this garden, however, the designer has used planks vertically to great effect.
This is something that would also be do-able with railway sleepers, cut to the correct size, too. You could either use long pieces and have high-up beds, or cut them into lots of short lengths for a shallower planter.
They’re incredibly heavy, though. A garden landscaper will be used to transporting and handling them, so it’d be wise to get someone in.
Tell us…
Which of these ideas would you steal for your own garden (or fantasy garden…). Let us know in the Comments section.
Since raised beds are so often fairly low to the ground, when wood is employed, you’ll typically see it forming horizontal rows. At the far end of this garden, however, the designer has used planks vertically to great effect.
This is something that would also be do-able with railway sleepers, cut to the correct size, too. You could either use long pieces and have high-up beds, or cut them into lots of short lengths for a shallower planter.
They’re incredibly heavy, though. A garden landscaper will be used to transporting and handling them, so it’d be wise to get someone in.
Tell us…
Which of these ideas would you steal for your own garden (or fantasy garden…). Let us know in the Comments section.
Raised beds are very often square or rectangular in shape, typically because that’s what will fit most easily into a garden. But if you have a larger patch, it might be easy to fit in a curved version, as the designer of this plot has done. The brickwork on the top row looks especially interesting when arranged this way.
You don’t always need a huge space, though. Take away the lawned area of this generous plot and you have the equivalent of a compact garden. If you have a patio zone for seating, this is a really nice and unusual way to design a paved outdoor space.
If you live in a period property, reclaimed bricks will always work well and blend with your back wall.