spunky1: Thank you for sharing this wonderful tutorial for daylily beds; great job! I'm learning a lot about Daylilies on ATP this week!

Great photo essay. Awesome beds!

How long do you find that the bark lasts before decomposing into powder and fine fibers and subsiding? Two or three years?

Can you just add more bark/sand mix to the top, or do you have to "repot" the daylilies into a whole new bed?

It will last 2-3 years then I remove the daylilies then add a couple of inches of bark to replace what's deteriorated . I then add the lime and fertilizer and retill. You do not have to add more sand because it doesn't deteriorate. You can also just add to the top, but may have to lift the daylilies so they don't get to deep.

>> may have to lift the daylilies so they don't get to deep.

Cool!

I'm a big fan of screened pine or conifer bark for containers and even seed starting, but I usually add some peaty-mix, say 10%. The PNW produces a lot of bark!

I wish they would slice it into long chips and shreds and coarse fibers, instead of grinding it into square nuggets and dust.

Great looking boxed beds and wonderful daylillies, spunky! Looks great!

Thanks for taking the time to document it all. Great job!!

Shoe

Fred, thanks for this wonderful article! I was getting ready to send you a message and ask what the ratio was again! I can't seem to ever remember it. About the only thing I've been able to find here is cedar bark, but I'll keep looking. There are huge logging operations all over the place here, so someone must have some pine bark! If I can't find any, will cedar bark work? Probably not, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Very nice! I love the lattice on the boxes and this is a great way to stay on 'top' of those tree roots

Fred, great advice about the soil-less mix. I have a lot of my daylilies potted right now and I have problems with root rot. I heard about this before but did not have the nerve to try it for some reason. But after hearing about your success I will try it.
May I ask why do you add lime? Sounds like you do that automatically. May I ask what kind of fertilizer do you add?
I was wondering how long do the wood boxes last. Do they rot after a number of years? I love the lattice, that looks so attractive and the boxes seem like they would be so easy to manage.

Fred - Very impressive garden boxes! You really created a lovely raised garden area! Looks like your daylilies love it there!

I, too, was wondering about why you add lime to your soil?

I can not use wood here because of the humidity, rain, and termites. But I do make raised beds using concrete blocks. Works well, just a little heavier lifting and I have to use construction adhesive (instead of screws or nails) to secure them together. I add the concrete tops to each of the cinder blocks which serves as a nice place to sit while I weed and prune the raised bed and plants. For the middle bed and the top bed, I use recycled plastic boards. A bit pricey, but they don't rot or attract termites.

Very nice Becky!

Becky, that is beautiful! Gives me another idea for raised beds, which I think I'll end up doing. I love what you've done!

I'm wondering if the lime is because of possible acidity in the pine bark? I know pine needles are acidic, so maybe the bark is too? I suppose that the lime would balance that out? Just a guess, and it's the only thing I can come up with about the lime, especially since the mixture has no soil in it.

That is beautiful Becky!! Great idea, and if you are talking about composite wood (plastic) I was wondering do they warp?
I love the look of your garden and the stepping stones are a really nice touch as well. You go girl!!!

Thanks y'all!

Natalie - You might be right about why the use of Lime.

Susan - In response to your question about "composite wood (plastic)" warping ... it is flexible. The size I made the two upper beds is 4' x 4' and 2' x 2'. I am not worried about warping with those sizes. I would be reluctant to use it for anything bigger unless you added another ground brace right in the middle of each plank to keep it from warping/bending outward. The composite wood holds up very nicely. I don't know how it would handle paint. I did paint the cinder blocks a sky blue as I didn't like the gray look. I matched the blue color with my Plumbago shrub blooms that are scattered around that garden area. The plumbago blooms match the paint perfectly. I wanted some cool blue to tone down that hot area of my yard. I painted the pavers to match. And I have a concrete bench in that area that I also want to paint the same color. It helps pull it all together. I call that garden area my "Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden of Eden". LOL!

I use cinder blocks and concrete around my yard. I used to use wood, which didn't last long before they started rotting. The concrete/cinder blocks will last a VERY long time. The down side ... to remove them will be a chore if I ever want to change it up.

Thanks for the information. I think it is a great idea and the stones on top do dress them up which is just what I needed to see. They just look too tacky on their own but I always knew they were functional and cheap! Good thing is you do not have to worry about rot and same with the composite wood. Your idea to paint them the same color of your favorite plant is awesome. I never thought of painting my pavers and bench, hummmm. This should keep me going all winter. I need to pick out some colors..... .

These paving stones are not as tall or tidy or heavy or sturdy, but they let me make raised beds 8", 12" or 16" deep almost as fast as I can wheelbarrow the soil into piles.

They don't have to lean every-which-way, I just never mortared them together and haven't straightened them up in a year or two.

They're probably also cheaper, at 71 cents to $1.80 per linear foot.

That's it Rick, cheap and functional. You probably get a lot of rain also so the stones are a great choice because they will last a long time without rotting. I like your curved sidewalk too.

Thanks, Susan! I think they're even cheaper than wood. Certainly they're easier.

Assembly requires ... soil. I make a pile in the middle of the bed, then stand one paver on edge. Drag the soil toward it until it stands up. Repeat. Done.

Once a neighbor moved out, and I wanted to move one wall a foot or so in that direction. Move one paver, drag some soil. Repeat. Done. I think it took 10 minutes to move ten pavers, plus rake the soil level again.

I can straighten them out easily, I'm just lazy and busy.
Pull an inward-leaner back towards me.
Drag some soil towards it.
Lean it back in, wiggle it.
maybe drag a little more soil

Thump an out-ward-leaner using a flat 2x4 and a mallet until it's flush.
Done.

If a whole section ever starts to lean outwards more than a half-inch, like if I spent time wlaking on the soil in the bed, I use a sharpshooter spade to dig a wedge of soil out of the edge of the bed.
Push two pavers back in with my palm until they look right.
Hold them in place while I drag some soil back.
Done

I once made the effort to make a wall look tidy even though it is on a slope. I had to scrape the sloping soil with a mattock, then position some pebbles and gravel and clay on top to give a level surface as wide as the paver. Set that paver on top, LEVEL. Thump on it a bit with a 2x4 and a mallet. Next.

It's just right for my level of mechanical ability. The most complicated tool is a mallet.

Some day I'll put the masonry-cutting wheel on my angle grinder and cut some pavers to fit the smallest bed "just right". Then I'll glue them together and it will look like a "real planter". I'll also cut some angle-pieces so that the corners fit tightly despite leaning inwards. Yup: "some day".

Rick - I like your thinking ... cheap and easy! Great idea for a sloping area, too! And a whole lot lighter than bags of concrete or even cinder blocks! LOL!

Thanks very much!

>> Great idea for a sloping area, too!

I think they would do well to define terraces, by tilting them back against the slope. I have one spot where the grade is steep and runs far enough that I COULD put 2-3 terraces there, if I ever have that much time and energy. But it is in deep shade.

AND it is steep. I can see myself breaking my ankles repeatedly, or at least as many times as it takes to convince me "bad idea, Rick!" However, once I run out of other spots to put raised beds, I might have to rig climbing ropes and ... is it "carabiners"?

RickCorey said:Thanks, Susan! I think they're even cheaper than wood. Certainly they're easier.

Assembly requires ... soil. I make a pile in the middle of the bed, then stand one paver on edge. Drag the soil toward it until it stands up. Repeat. Done.

Once a neighbor moved out, and I wanted to move one wall a foot or so in that direction. Move one paver, drag some soil. Repeat. Done. I think it took 10 minutes to move ten pavers, plus rake the soil level again.

I can straighten them out easily, I'm just lazy and busy.
Pull an inward-leaner back towards me.
Drag some soil towards it.
Lean it back in, wiggle it.
maybe drag a little more soil

Thump an out-ward-leaner using a flat 2x4 and a mallet until it's flush.
Done.

If a whole section ever starts to lean outwards more than a half-inch, like if I spent time wlaking on the soil in the bed, I use a sharpshooter spade to dig a wedge of soil out of the edge of the bed.
Push two pavers back in with my palm until they look right.
Hold them in place while I drag some soil back.
Done

I once made the effort to make a wall look tidy even though it is on a slope. I had to scrape the sloping soil with a mattock, then position some pebbles and gravel and clay on top to give a level surface as wide as the paver. Set that paver on top, LEVEL. Thump on it a bit with a 2x4 and a mallet. Next.

It's just right for my level of mechanical ability. The most complicated tool is a mallet.

Some day I'll put the masonry-cutting wheel on my angle grinder and cut some pavers to fit the smallest bed "just right". Then I'll glue them together and it will look like a "real planter". I'll also cut some angle-pieces so that the corners fit tightly despite leaning inwards. Yup: "some day".

>>> Yup: "some day".

My feelings exactly!!