Garden Beds
When it comes to garden beds, there are a few things to consider before you start digging and moving ground. Size, Design and location, watering. It may also be usefull to call the utility company if you plan on digging in some big trees for safety.
What size shall i make my garden beds
when it comes to figuring out size it is often best to look at the area you have to work with and the plants ad shrubs etc that you want to put in it.
Garden bed design
What shape are you wanting to make your flower bed and what other factors are near it…buildings, hedges, trees etc. Will you need access thru the bed ie step stones to get from side to the other.
Where and what location do i want my garden bed.
If you have alot of plants and shrubs to go in this bed, it is advisable to check there sun/shade tolerances before building your bed. you dont want to build a bed that gets all day sun when alot of your plants need part shade.
Watering your new garden bed
Are you planning to water this bed by hand or not. if you have irrigation plans. then now is a good time to run pipe and set heads before finishing edging and planting.
Once you have decided this then its time to start building. First mark out the shape you had in mind using either marker paint or running a hose to show the edges of the bed. After this then strip of the turf using a shovel and barrow if its a fairly small bed or a turf cutter if quite large. Now you can see the actual shape of the bed.
Garden bed edging
Now is a good time to consider how you want the edges of the bed to look. The three options we like to use are: Brick edge, Composite edging or deep edge.
- Brick edge
This method is often known as lawn edge, a row of pavers or bricks that creates a clean definition between the lawn and the bed. Built on a crush base and concreted in place for strength. A great way to keep the grass from creeping in to your beds over time
- Composite lawn edging
Not to be confused with Black Jack edging which is the black lawn edging pipe finish that you can get for the home depot or Rona stores….this stuff in our opinion is garbage. Composite Edging looks like composite decking, but is thin and gives nice curves, we like to create the shapes we want and then get the board to stay in place with rebar sticks, plumbers strapping and screws.
- Deep edge
This is the cheapest of lawn edging out there and also a great way to gain soil for you bed if you running abit short. on the edge of the bed cut straight down into the ground to create a vertical edge and then pull the soil back up into the bed, By down this you have made a clean division between the lawn and the bed. if your thinking of finishing the bed in mulch or decorative rock then make sure you cut down deep enough to still be left with a good sized deep edge once finished or otherwise your grass will travel into the mulch or rock in time. Grass only likes to grow across not down which makes the deep edge so effective.
Once your garden bed is shaped and your edging complete, you now have a bed that is ready for planting. Before doing so, maybe consider a feature tree or feature rock to accent the bed.