Raised garden beds are a great way to boost your gardening productivity and aesthetics. But landscaping and designing the area around the beds is just as important for the overall look and functionality. With some planning, you can create useful pathways, edge the beds neatly, and incorporate decorative touches to complement your raised bed garden.
In this guide we’ll cover
- Benefits of landscaping around raised beds
- Materials and ideas for pathways
- Options for edging and borders
- Decorative touches like rocks, gravel and plants
- Key design and layout considerations
- Tips for making over the area around your raised beds
Why Landscape Around Raised Garden Beds?
Landscaping around raised beds serves both practical and aesthetic purposes
- Defines the growing area and contains the soil
- Allows access for tending the beds without stepping on the soil
- Suppresses weeds and reduces maintenance
- Adds visual interest with textures, colors and materials
- Ties the beds into the overall garden design
Even a simple gravel path and trimmed grass edging helps elevate a veggie patch from messy to magnificent. But you can also get creative with pavers, stone borders, ornamental plants and more.
Pathway Materials and Designs
Pathways are very important because they let you get to your raised beds without packing down the soil. Here are some great options:
Gravel or Wood Chip Paths
An informal yet neat look, best for more rustic garden styles. Use compacted gravel or wood chips topped with mulch.
Paving Stones
Comes in different sizes, shapes, and materials, such as natural stone, brick, and concrete. Arrange for straight lines or fun patterns.
Poured Concrete
Creates a smooth, seamless look that’s easy to maintain. Consider decorative stamping or coloring for extra flair.
Pea Gravel
Natural-looking, affordable option. Use landscape edging to contain the pebbles and reduce spreading.
Grass Pathways
Maintained lawn pathways look neat and feel cool underfoot. Use thicker-bladed grass types like fescue for durability.
Decorative Bark or Mulch
Shredded bark or mulch comes in various colors to complement your garden style. Replenish regularly as it decomposes.
Stepping Stones
Useful for informal, curving paths. Arrange stones closely or farther apart depending on your preference.
Edging and Borders for Raised Beds
Edging your raised beds keeps the surrounding grass or weeds from encroaching on the growing area. Here are some great edging ideas:
Lawn Trimming
A crisp, trimmed grass edge provides a clean look. Maintain regularly with manual or power lawn trimmers.
Wood Planks
Use natural cedar, redwood or composite boards secured into the ground around the perimeter of the bed.
Landscape Edging
Flexible plastic, metal or heavy duty cardboard edging inserts are widely available. Just secure into the ground.
Bricks or Stone
Line the raised bed with neat rows of bricks or stones mortared into place. Matches most any garden style.
Aluminum Edging
Thin aluminum strips that can be bent into curves; easy to install and remove.
Low Hedges
Use compact hedging plants like boxwoods or elongated juniper around the beds. Trim periodically.
Decorative Touches for Around Raised Garden Beds
Now for the fun part! Decorative features can really make your raised bed garden pop. Consider adding:
River Rock Borders
Line walkways or edge beds with smooth river rocks for a natural yet put-together look.
Gravel Features
Use pea gravel or crushed rock to create geometrical focal points and fill in around edges.
Ornamental Grasses
Add movement and texture with grasses like maiden grass, fountain grass or pampas grass.
Water Features
A small raised pond or fountain can provide soothing sounds and attract wildlife.
Flowering Plants
Choose perennials like lavender, daisies and coreopsis to add spurts of color around the beds.
Garden Art
Sculptures, wind chimes, mosaic stepping stones and other artful touches bring personality.
Potted Plants
Use containers of annuals, perennials, herbs and ornamental plants to complement the beds.
Key Design and Layout Considerations
When planning improvements around your raised beds, keep these design tips in mind:
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Leave adequate workspace between beds so you can easily tend soil and plants. At least 2-3 feet is best.
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Ensure pathways are wide enough for wheelbarrows, carts or other gardening equipment you need access for.
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Incorporate some straight pathways as well as meandering curved paths to create interest.
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Repeat elements like pavers, gravel, edging plants or mulch for a cohesive look.
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Follow the “rule of three” design principle and group decorative items in threes for harmony.
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Make pathways widest closest to the bed then taper as they move outward from the growing area.
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Position taller decorative items like trellises so they don’t shade your veggies or block paths.
Makeover Ideas for Around Raised Garden Beds
Follow these ideas to give lackluster spaces around your raised beds a makeover:
Overgrown Beds
Trim back encroaching grass and weeds around bed perimeters. Install fresh edging like aluminum strips or bricks to contain the soil. Cover bare spots with mulch or gravel.
Tired Wood Beds
Give weathered raised beds new life with a coat of stain or paint to match your color scheme. Surround with new gravel pathways and defined lawn edges.
Plain Beds
Introduce color and interest by installing a rock or paver border. Plan decorative touches like sculptures, wind chimes and flowering plants around the beds.
Messy Paths
Define paths clearly with pavers or gravel topped with mulch. Use rakes and edging shears to neaten the surrounding areas. Add colorful annuals in pots.
Unused Space
Take advantage of unused lawn areas around beds. Expand beds or install new ones to maximize growing space. Add pathways and edging as needed.
With some small upgrades and design tweaks you can transform the area around your raised beds from drab to dynamite. Thoughtfully landscaping around the beds pulls your entire garden together into a cohesive, beautiful space.
Inspiring Raised Bed Ideas! // Garden Answer
FAQ
What is best to put around raised garden beds?
How to landscape a raised garden bed?
Should I put gravel around my raised garden bed?
What can you do with a raised bed?
Using tall plants or trellises within the raised beds can help further enclose the space. Use raised beds to create garden rooms: Use raised beds to divide your outdoor space into different areas, such as an outdoor dining area, a seating area, and a vegetable garden.
What are the best raised garden bed ideas?
The grouping of raised beds is set off by a picket fence painted green, its scalloped top contrasting with the hard angles of the beds. This is one of the most stylish raised garden bed ideas that makes the perfect addition to any modern home. Sheet metal coiled into a spiral creates a contemporary raised bed.
What can you put on a raised bed?
The best materials to put on the ground around raised beds are cardboard topped with thick layers of wood chips. Gravel or stone walkways can be added between raised beds, but there are disadvantages to doing so. In a pinch, straw, hay, or grass clippings can also be placed around raised beds
How do you cover the ground around raised beds?
In my opinion, the very best way to cover the ground around raised beds is to place layers of cardboard, then pile wood chips on top of them. Not only does this kill off invasive grasses and suppress weed growth, but it also helps prevent soil saturation and provides numerous benefits to you and your garden.
