How to Build a Raised Flower or Garden Bed

Flower beds do not have to be elaborate to enjoy fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers. With a raised garden bed, you can customize your garden bed however you want. Building a standard 3'x5' garden bed with wood is most typical; however, you can use blocks, pavers, stone or even just a pile of soil.

For this project you will need 2'x4's, a 4'x4' post, a tape measure, pencil and square, dill with bits and screws, a circular saw, work gloves, soil, landscape fabric, a shovel and hoe, a level, a utility knife, sawhorses, soil, a wheelbarrow, a soaker hose and some flower or vegetables.

Select a location with plenty of sun where you can have access on both sides. Mark the dimensions of the area you want to have your garden bed, and dig up the sod. Do not dig too deep, but just enough to remove the sod. Check the ground with the level to make sure the base is even. Next, lay the landscaping fabric down and cut to fit.

Cut the 2'x4's and 4'x4's to length, screw the 2'x4' to each other, and the 4'x4' inside each corner to form a box. Set the box in its designated area and make sure it is level. Cut any excess landscaping fabric and add your dirt or compost soil. Next plant your vegetables or flowers by pulling back the dirt.

If you wish to add an irrigation system, simply set a hose in between the plants, cover with soil, and set to a timer.  Now you have a beautiful raised flower garden for years of enjoyment!



 http://www.youtube.com/Lowes

Snail Shell Mini Garden

This is such a unique and creative idea.


http://www.recyclart.org/2012/08/diy-snail-shell-mini-garden/

Basket Case

Allium's intriguing purple globes combine with clematis and catmint in this doorway garden flower arrangement. Unripe serviceberries and hosta foliage set off the blooms that pick up on the color of the door.



http://www.bhg.com/gardening/design/styles/beautiful-bouquets-fresh-from-the-garden/?page=2#page=7

Creative Container

Placing flowers in floral vials gives you greater flexibility for containers. For example, a less-than-watertight old wooden toolbox becomes a viable option for holding a flower arrangement when you don't have to figure out how to fill it with water.


http://www.bhg.com/decorating/home-accessories/flower-arranging/creative-flower-arrangement-containers/#page=15

Old Tub

An old tub filled with your favorite flowers is an creative way to add a little style to your garden.

Succulent Bird Bath

Transform an ornate bird bath into a dramatic display of striking succulents. The layer of white rocks not only helps to showcase this sun-loving selection, but also serves to protect these drought-hardy plants from unwanted condensation that could damage the leaves.

Tip: When using a shallow container like this bird bath try a potting mix that contains coconut husk fibres to naturally store water and release it to plants when needed.

Watering Can Fountain

 What a great idea for any garden and SO easy to do!!

Sunflowers

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence (flowering head). The sunflower is named after its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads of flowers. The heads consist of many individual flowers which mature into seeds, often in the hundreds, on a receptacle base. From the Americas, sunflower seeds were brought to Europe in the 16th century, where, along with sunflower oil, they became a widespread cooking ingredient. Leaves of the sunflower can be used as cattle feed, while the stems contain a fibre which may be used in paper production.