|
David Salman, President/
Chief Horticulturist
Ava Salman, Marketing Director
Cindy Bellinger, Editor
Kerry Kirkpatrick, Web Design
|
|
 |
Gardening with Raised Beds
By Mary Ann Walz
Helping my daughter plant trees at her newly constructed home made me recall why I like raised beds. The earth was hard, compacted clay for about 12 to 18 inches followed by an underlying sandy layer.
Mixed in with the clay were large rocks and bits of construction debris. Any topsoil that may have originally been there had been scraped away. Raised beds are a great solution in areas where the soil is less than optimal.
Advantages to Raised Beds
-
 Ignoring Your Poor Soil is one of the major advantages of raised beds. You can generally disregard whatever kind of existing soil you have and import good soil for your new bed. The new bed should be at least 12 to 18 inches above the surface of the existing soil. If you can't make the bed that deep, then the existing soil should be loosened a bit before adding the new soil. This helps with drainage, especially if the existing soil is clay. If existing soil is sandy this isn't necessary.
- Easy Maintenance is a definitely plus because raised beds are easy to tend. Because of their height, just a slight bend and you're able to plant, prune, water, or otherwise attend to your plants. It's also easier to spot those tiny weeds or notice a pest.
Design Benefits
-
 Tying Elements Together of a landscape aesthetically by using raised beds is a good tactic. The change of grade created by a raised bed helps tie a high house foundation to the surrounding land, making it seem as if the house belongs. This is especially helpful with manufactured homes. Using the same materials throughout--bricks, stone, etc--creates cohesiveness.
- A Sense of Enclosure produced by raised beds often means eliminating the need of a fence.
- Showcase cascading plants or tiny specimens along the edges of raised beds where they'll really be seen. When contouring the raised bed, make a slight slope from front to back or mound it in the center. This slight change in grade shows plants to best advantage.
Using Containers
-
 While not a true raised bed, containers offer the same advantages plus the container itself can add a spot of color to a garden. Treat containers like a miniature garden, within a garden. Use them to try out new perennials or tried and true favorites. Move them around to suit the changes in your garden or change the plants in large, stationary containers as the seasons change.
|
However you make raised beds, the key to their success is the soil. If you need to order topsoil, be sure it's real topsoil. And if you need to order over the phone, it might be prudent to have a landscape professional take a look to make sure it's acceptable. After delivery, then it all comes down to fun while creating these above ground planting areas.
How-to Make Raised Gardening Beds
By Cindy Bellinger
 Because of the nature of my own garden--lousy soil, on a hill--I have some practice with raised beds. As I completely rebuild my garden this year, I'm taking full advantage of past experience.
Begin
1. Plan in advance because raised beds are not moveable. So consider sun and shade throughout the year. Consider accessibility. If you want a kitchen garden, make it near the house. If you want a bed of hardy, waterwise perennials it can be installed further out. Consider those “gardenesque” elements. Have beds of cascading plants and fragrant, showy flowers near sitting areas.
 2. Choose materials carefully because a cohesive garden usually incorporates all the same materials--stone, brick, wood, etc. Unless you're good at mix and match, you'll end up with that hodge-podge look.
You can also use bales of straw to create raised beds for vegetable gardens. These also insulate soil during cold weather. Placing PVC hoops covered with plastic, they make good mini-greenhouses. Building
1. Concrete footers stabilize bedding walls and don't have to be massive; only four to six inches deep will do. For forms to hold the soft concrete, use scrap wood held in place with rebar and mud. For mixing concrete use three parts sand, one part cement. Keep adding water until it feel like thick mud. It's fun; just get into it.
2. Have enough material--either from collecting or delivery.
-
 Bricks (red or cinderblocks) give a neat and orderly look. The red ones often need cutting; not easy if you don't have the right equipment.
- Stones produce an earthy appearance. Consider color and type--granite, river rounds, smooth, jagged.
o If using stone, for either dry walls or mortared walls, you'll quickly develop an eye for choosing shapes that fit together.
Yes, making raised beds yourself takes time and muscle. But there's nothing more rewarding that to walk around your garden knowing you did it yourself.
Plant Profile with David's Helpful Hints--Lavenders
 The genus
Lavandula is a favorite group of ornamental herbs native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean. These sun-loving plants thrive in hot weather and grow well in the West in a wide range of soils, even compost-enriched garden loams, as long as they are well drained. Wet, poorly-drained clay or clay-loam soils can be fatal.
Lavender plants will be taller and wider in climates with mild winters and hot summers. The same varieties grown in cold (zone 5-6) winter climates tend to be more compact. Lavender plants require two-to-three growing seasons to reach mature size.
 Pruning established plants: In spring as needed. When plants begin to show signs of new growth, cut back the old stems by no more than a third to re-invigorate the plant and encourage more flowers. Harvesting the flowers each year helps maintain plant vigor.
Fertilizing: Top-dress with
Yum Yum Mix and
Planters II once a year in mid-to-late fall or mid-spring as the plants begin to show new growth.
Planting Tips: Plant in full-sun locations with good air circulation and fast-draining, alkaline soil. Sandy and sandy-loams are a must in the eastern United States and the Midwest. Lavender will tolerate clay and clay-loam in dry climates.
- Ample coarse-textured compost can be added at planting time to “open-up” heavier soils. Add lime in acidic soils. In wetter climates, plant on a slope or in raised bed to facilitate faster drainage.
- Keep two inches of very coarse sand or small diameter gravel around the base of the plant. This keeps the crown drier and promotes healthy plants in all climates.
- Water regularly the first growing season. Irrigate deeply but infrequently after the second growing season. Be careful not to over-water established plants.
Cold-Hardy Lavender Varieties
-
 English types: Lavandula angustifolia cultivars are among the most cold-hardy. They bloom beginning in late spring and have compact flowering spikes on short-to-medium stems. 'Hidcote Superior', 'Royal Velvet' and 'Mitcham Gray' have the darkest flowers. 'Graves' is valued for its fragrant, long-stemmed flowers. 'Buena Vista' blooms twice, in spring and fall.
-
 Lavandin (French hybrid) types: Lavandin or Lavandula x intermedia cultivars (hybrids between English lavender and L. latifolia) are among the tallest growers with elongated flowering spikes on long stems. 'Provence' and 'Hidcote Giant' are deliciously aromatic and are used for oil production and sachets. 'Grosso' is one of the best for use in crafts and as a dried flower.
- Other hybrids: 'Silver Frost' has incredible silver foliage and a powerful fragrance. 'England' is compact and very fragrant. Both are exceptionally heat tolerant in low- humidity areas.
Plant Combinations for Great Garden Designs
 This flowering multi-cultural combo creates a deer and rabbit resistant splash of color for brightening hot areas in your garden.
Lavandula angustifolia 'Graves' (Graves English Lavender) is a wonderfully fragrant, long stemmed variety perfect for cutting and drying. Its distinctively colored lavender-blue flower spikes give you a very different look in the garden from short stemmed, more darkly colored cultivars like' Hidcote Superior' and 'Mitcham Gray.' Zones 5-10.
Stachys inflata (Shruby or Cotton Candy Lamb's Ear) gives unflinching performance in harsh conditions. A native of the high mountains of Iran, this small shrublet has bright white stems, pewter gray leaves and numerous spikes of cotton candy pink flowers in early summer. Plant in well-drained, infertile soil. Zones 5-9,
Achillea ageratifolia (Greek Yarrow) is a wonderfully colorful and rugged groundcover yarrow perfect for planting in front of Stachys and Lavandula. Its bright white flowers are held in profusion over the evergreen gray-green mat of foliage. Thrives in just about any well drained soil. Zones 4-8.
Garden Glossary — terms for the horticulturist.
Herbaceous: This refers to plants that have soft tissues as opposed to woody stems. These plants also die back to the ground during cold winter months.
Scoring or scratching roots: The loosening of roots when taken from a nursery pot so they won't continue growing in a circle. If tough, they can be cut with a knife. Healthy roots need to stretch out lengthwise.
Soil nutrients: Macronutrients are those that are needed by plants in substantial quantities and include nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Micronutrients are those that plants need in small quantities and include copper, zinc, iron, manganese, boron, and molybdenum.
View all the Garden Terminology from our Ezines
More Gardening Articles
|
Showcase cascading plants or tiny specimens along the edges of raised beds where they'll really be seen.
