Lynn, we don't have much of a backyard. There's a waterway behind the house and the back porch and deck are right next to the water. There's a strip of land about 5' from the deck to the water's edge and I do have a small flower bed that backs up to the deck. We just put that flower bed in last summer and used cement edging as the border stacked two high but cement blocks would make it nicer, giving it more height. Maybe some day I will change out that edging and put in a cement block border 2 or 3 high, paint them a neutral color and then plant some cascading plants in each opening!

I've tried growing lobelia, alyssum, and petunias in those holes and they didn't like it at all. I did have some volunteer gypsophila muralis do ok in them last year, tho. Oh, and a lone dianthus survived in one for a couple of years. I'd love to be able to grow something in those holes, because I do like using the blocks for making raised beds. Anyone got specific suggestions for things that would do well? Maybe one of my problems is that I have the blocks sitting on another non-porous surface; might do better if they were sitting directly on the ground?

Try something like sedum, those blocks can retain a lot of heat so that may not be so good for tender plants. If they are in the shade then you wouldn't have the heat problem of course.

I have seen several nice ideas for cinder blocks plantings and other ideas.
http://decorhacks.com/2011/03/...
http://pocketgrow.com/blog/hyd...
http://media-cache-ec3.pintere...
http://pinterest.com/pin/18345...
Scroll down a bit to see a painted half wall http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks...
a bench http://www.bhg.com/home-improv...

Oh, wow, Sue! I do like some of those cinder block arrangements! I particularly like that second one! Not a big fan of sedum, but you're probably right, too much heat for some things. Might have much better luck in the shade.....and I just happen to have some blocks and a shady area! I think I may know where my spare mimulus may end up this year!

Not a big fan of sedum?!! Say it isn't so!
I have 3 different sedums in these recycled pipes, I love the contrasting colors and they are not affected by the hot pipes. Currently, all 3 have spilled all the way down to the ground, covering the pipes.

Sue, your recycled pipes are beautiful. Where do you find something like that?

Another great plant that should do very well in the block holes is Armeria. Very tough and drought tolerant plant, but doesn't mind being watered with the rest of your plants. http://garden.org/plants/searc...

I got those from a salvage place and picked up a half a dozen more from a member here that saw my post about them.
http://garden.org/thread/view_...
She got them from an old home that was torn down in San Francisco. I haven't placed those yet, that will be another project this year.

Oh! I used to have some Armeria maritima......wonder if I have any seeds.....nope, looks like I bought plants and they're long gone. But that's an interesting suggestion! Thanks!
And if that little chunk of sedum on the front porch survives the winter, I'll give it a chance in the cinder blocks out front.

You could even plant the tiny snow drop bulbs for spring color.

Zuzu does bulbs in hers, tulips and all kinds of other things.

I bet it is beautiful.

Oh, that sounds like fun! Ha, ha, too late for that here, tho. LiIttle rascals are frozen solid right now. But maybe for next year!

I like the idea of sedums because they would spill and cover those blocks.

I think drought tolerant is a great choice. I would suspect that they cement block would keep the soil quite warm and dry.

Lin - Your topic caught my eye from the weekly email sent out to members of ATP.

I became a fan of cinder blocks (and anything else concrete) living in Florida. Between the rain (humidity) and heat/drought conditions ... I've found that concrete works great! No rotting wood or termites! But when planting in the "holes" of the cinder blocks, it is best to use drought tolerant, succulent, or cactus type plants. I do use discarded nursery pots by cutting the bottoms off. I then cut one vertical line up the side of the plastic pot so that I can adjust and slide the pot into the cinder block hole. I have found that this helps to keep the plant roots away from the cinder blocks as it heats up in warm months. It also helps to retain moisture a little longer since concrete tends to absorb moisture away from the soil in each hole. When using cinder blocks as the border in a larger raised bed area, you can plant just about anything. Home Depot sells cinder block concrete caps. I use those to cover the tops of the cinder blocks when I don't want to plant anything in the holes. It makes a nice place to sit when weeding or tending my raised bed.

Attached is a couple of photos of a raised bed I built over a year ago using cinder blocks. I capped those blocks. But I also used cinder blocks to make a border around a different garden area a few feet away from the raised bed. I did not cap those blocks but instead planted a Spider plant in each hole (almost 100 plants which came off one mature plant ... for free!). I have plans to paint the outside and tops of the cinder blocks a shade of wedgewood blue. I have a lot of plants that have red, pink, and purple flowers, so thought I would add some cool blue to that area by painting the cinder blocks blue. (I mainly garden for butterflies and hummingbirds which is why I plant red and purple blooming plants!)

There are also some very cool ideas of how to use cinder blocks as garden deco:
http://www.urbangardensweb.com...
http://remodelista.com/posts/d...

Check out the concrete couch:
http://borganic.net/projects.p...

I love cinder blocks!!!! Will last forever ... or almost forever!

Also, I use cinder blocks as the legs for the concrete benches that I make. I have a bench leg mold, but the concrete molded legs are not very sturdy. The cinder blocks are so much better. You can buy the concrete bench top molds which are reusable. I've made several and plan to make more for my yard and workplace. http://historystones.com/bench...

This is a photo of one of the benches I made. It's just a plain concrete bench top and cinder block legs. Very cheap to make once you purchase the mold. I want to create one using a tile pattern on the bench top next time. Perhaps make a butterfly or hummingbird design. The concrete top and cinder block legs can be painted or you can use concrete stain when mixing the concrete for the bench top as well. So many creative ideas. And don't forget hypertufa and all that you can create using that idea! http://www.hypertufa.net/

Becky I love what you did with your concrete blocks. And no lawn.

I really love the nested square beds! Like terraces or a stepped pyramid.

Cool avatar, too!

Someone posted an idea somewhere for using concrete glue (it comes in a tube like caulking compound and can be applied with a caulk gun. It's easier than mortar and may be stronger.)

They took 5 paving stones, 12" x 12" x 1". They made a 1-cubic foot planter by standing 4 pavers upright on top of the fifth, gluing them into a square or cube. I think they knocked off some corners on the bottom or drilled holes for drainage. That's over 7 gallons and very stable. However, you have to position it where you want it and leave it there! It's pretty heavy for moving around.