Raised Garden Bed

LimerickCity

Good afternoon folks,

I am thinking of building a raised bed in the garden where i have marked out in yellow below.

The reason for this is mainly because it is very annoying trying to manouver the lawnmower in such a small space.

I've done some research and plan on using the railway sleeper which Paddy advised on in another post.

Sort out the sleepers, earth etc will not be a problem for but the plant selection most definitely will be.

I already have one plant in there which hangs pretty low towards the end of the season and i do not wish to move it.

I would your opinions on what plants i should choose, a balance of plants will will flower at different times and require little maintenance.

I plan on building up the bed with the sleepers then filling with earth covering with mypex, placing in the plants and covering with bark.

I'm hoping that i can bring some much needed colour to the garden.

paddy147

LimerickCity wrote: »

Good afternoon folks,

I am thinking of building a raised bed in the garden where i have marked out in yellow below.

The reason for this is mainly because it is very annoying trying to manouver the lawnmower in such a small space.

I've done some research and plan on using the railway sleeper which Paddy advised on in another post.

Sort out the sleepers, earth etc will not be a problem for but the plant selection most definitely will be.

I already have one plant in there which hangs pretty low towards the end of the season and i do not wish to move it.

I would your opinions on what plants i should choose, a balance of plants will will flower at different times and require little maintenance.

I plan on building up the bed with the sleepers then filling with earth covering with mypex, placing in the plants and covering with bark.

I'm hoping that i can bring some much needed colour to the garden.

Thanks for that.:)


Mix in plenty of good quality soil with added in compost,manure and grit too..(drainage purposes).

LimerickCity

paddy147 wrote: »

Thanks for that.:)


Mix in plenty of good quality soil with added in compost,manure and grit too..(drainage purposes).

Its a great idea Paddy and i would never have thought about painting them. Especially painting them black but it looks fantastic.

Would you have any ideas on what plants would be appropriate?

I would like plants that will grow this year and come on again next year but also have a mix of plants so that some will have foliage in the winter/early spring.

paddy147

LimerickCity wrote: »

Its a great idea Paddy and i would never have thought about painting them. Especially painting them black but it looks fantastic.

Would you have any ideas on what plants would be appropriate?

I would like plants that will grow this year and come on again next year but also have a mix of plants so that some will have foliage in the winter/early spring.

The handiest way to stain them is with a small mini roller.....you will fly through them.

2-3 good coats and left to dry for 2-3 hours in between coats.


I wouldnt really know about what flowers and plants...as I dont know what works and what doesnt work in sunshine.

I just lob in some things and if it comes up,then great...if it doesnt..well lesson learned....but thats the way I am.:pac::D


Im sure other members will be able to advise you what to plant though.:)

LimerickCity

Thanks again Paddy.

The area is not really that large so hopefully not too much work involved.

Not too many plants either i hope

paddy147

I will say 1 thing on the plants........

In my humble opinion.....some nice climbers on those walls above the raised bed,would look rather nice.:)

Rancid

Agree with Paddy on the climbers, even a simple variagated ivy would look nice, though ivy is good at overgrowing too fast!
A few Campanula plants would soften the edge and you'll have a cascade of blue (or white) flowers from May through to October. Tough little plants, they tolerate sun and shade, survive the low temps and need almost no maintenance.

Looking at your pic, make sure to leave adequate space between the end of the raised bed and your shed door for taking out bulky stuff like lawn mowers, etc.

rje66

[/Quote]
2.heucheras
1. Pinus mugo
1.cistus
2. Sedum spectablis
1. Phormium(small)
1.geranium(small)
1.potentilla .

Try these. If you need more plants try pulmonaria x2/3 in a group to fill in.

LimerickCity

rje66 wrote: »

2.heucheras
1. Pinus mugo
1.cistus
2. Sedum spectablis
1. Phormium(small)
1.geranium(small)
1.potentilla .

Try these. If you need more plants try pulmonaria x2/3 in a group to fill in.[/QUOTE]

Hi rje,

Really appreciate the feedback and it appears that most of the plans mentioned are perennials which is a good thing.

Could you advise on the possible layout of said plants?

Would you recommend that i remove the plant on the left hand side next to the shed and what about the little tree in the middle of the picture?

Thanks

rje66

LimerickCity wrote: »

2.heucheras
1. Pinus mugo
1.cistus
2. Sedum spectablis
1. Phormium(small)
1.geranium(small)
1.potentilla .

Try these. If you need more plants try pulmonaria x2/3 in a group to fill in.

Hi rje,

Really appreciate the feedback and it appears that most of the plans mentioned are perennials which is a good thing.

Could you advise on the possible layout of said plants?

Would you recommend that i remove the plant on the left hand side next to the shed and what about the little tree in the middle of the picture?

Thanks[/Quote]
Keep existing plants.
Lay out,from shed end
2 heucheras- frontish
1 cistus behind these (2 blocks along)
Pinus
Sedums
Potentilla
Geranium
Phormium
If needed pulmonarias at end.
Hebes are good also, so if planting looks a bit thin drop one in after pulmonarias

LimerickCity

paddy147 wrote: »

I will say 1 thing on the plants........

In my humble opinion.....some nice climbers on those walls above the raised bed,would look rather nice.:)

Hi Paddy,
It has been a few years. 
I took your advice on the climbers. Looking very nice for the last few weeks

FrancieBrady

Looks amazing. What is the climber? and how many of them did you use for that wall?

LimerickCity

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Looks amazing. What is the climber? and how many of them did you use for that wall?

Hi,
It is a clematis Montana. Normally flowers in April and May.
I used 4 plants spread out across the wall. I also have honeysuckle on the wall which the clematis has attached onto. Be careful though as this grows extremely fast and will need maintaining as it can grow into neighbours gardens an also attach itself onto any tree or structure in close proximity to it.

celticbhoy27

LimerickCity wrote: »

Hi Paddy,
It has been a few years. 
I took your advice on the climbers. Looking very nice for the last few weeks

Fair play for the update. Looks amazing. Love seeing updated pics from past advice obtained. Makes contributing to forums all the more worthwhile