Raised beds were originally conceived for purely practical reasons when people realized that walking on soil where you were trying to grow crops was not a good idea. Initially the practice of creating a four to five foot wide bed with narrow paths either side did not even need wooden walls to contain it. How things have moved on. Now the raised bed is not just a practical growing system, but has also become a decorative feature. These ten examples are described in an article by Lauren Dunec Hoang which I found on the Houzz website.
There are plenty of practical reasons for putting a raised bed in your garden: improving drainage, expanding growing options, saving your back and setting up homegrown fruits, vegetables and herbs to flourish. Aside from their function, well-designed raised beds can visually take your garden design up a notch, serving as attractive focal points. Here are 10 inspired raised bed designs to complement a range of garden styles, from traditional to contemporary.1. Formal and Traditional
A coat of crisp white paint and decorative post caps elevate simple raised beds to posh garden features. Keeping the raised bed materials and design details consistent with other elements of a property ? fences, walls or the home?s exterior ? establishes a strong design theme and integrates the parts of the landscape.A formal boxwood border outlining each bed here cuts in on growing space a bit but provides year-round interest in the bed, whether or not the homeowners grow berries or veggies every season.2. Classic FarmhouseTraditional 4-by-8-foot wooden raised beds surrounded by irregular flagstone form a neat and tidy kitchen garden for this country home. The thick wooden pieces used to build the beds are wide enough that you could balance a cup of tea, a harvest basket or pruning shears while working in the garden.The farmhouse?s raised beds, as seen from the doors of the potting shed, are planted with cool-season mixed greens, arugula, beets, leeks, carrots and sugar snap peas.3. Simple Cottage
Wooden raised beds, filled to the brim with herbs and summer vegetables and surrounded by crunchy gravel, form the centerpiece of this cottage-style kitchen garden. The simple design draws attention to the plants ? boxwood basil, purple basil, bush beans, parsley and trellised cherry tomatoes ? and is easy to make yourself.
See more at Houzz
Feature photo: Lauren Dunec Design
