Flower Beds
Flower beds can differ extreme amounts, from simple borders to extravagant rockeries standing meters higher than the garden, but the ones that will suit you are determined by how much time you are able and willing to spend out weeding and dead heading flowers. We all like to think we could keep on top of anything but the reality is very different. You need to take this into consideration when planning your garden because you don't want 6 months after your garden having a makeover to be worrying about getting more gardeners in to keep on top of it (it's all cost)
With this in mind there are some options available to give you decent size flower beds but with the maintenance of only thin borders, There is material called landscape fabric that is designed for underneath slabs and gravel to keep the weeds at bay but this can also be used to completely cover all flower beds. This then allows is for a thin layer of bark, gravel or other materials to be laid on top, the fabric is easily cut to dig a hole beneath to plant flowers and the fabric allows weeds to only grow on what is above making weeding easier than ever,
With this in mind there are some options available to give you decent size flower beds but with the maintenance of only thin borders, There is material called landscape fabric that is designed for underneath slabs and gravel to keep the weeds at bay but this can also be used to completely cover all flower beds. This then allows is for a thin layer of bark, gravel or other materials to be laid on top, the fabric is easily cut to dig a hole beneath to plant flowers and the fabric allows weeds to only grow on what is above making weeding easier than ever,
Raised Beds
Raised flower beds can be made from simple wooden shuttering, painted, harled or skimmed breeze blocks, red or buff brick work and small two or three course stone walls, each has different costs and some are longer term answers.
Raised beds don't just bring the colour of the flowers to the garden but if you are trying to add character to the garden or to split a garden into sections they can be a pleasing way of doing so.
Raised beds don't just bring the colour of the flowers to the garden but if you are trying to add character to the garden or to split a garden into sections they can be a pleasing way of doing so.
Ground level beds
Flower beds can just start where the lawn, patio, gravel etc. end or you can have a thin border to separate them, doing this helps keep the boundaries of both where you want them rather than over time each encroaching into each other. Materials you can use for this are wood, brick, stone, slate... the list goes on, have a look around your garden for what you have that could be recycled you will be amazed at how many uses things can have.