Rita, this is the same thread. I split this conversation out into it's own thread, since it is a great topic. I didn't want it to get lost in the Blooms and Chat thread. By splitting it off and giving it a thread title, new members who are scanning through thread titles will pick up on it.

Well, I obviouly missed it in the Blooms and Chat and just noticed it now. It is a really great subject. I am a big believer in Raised Beds!

I tried to get photos of Curt Hanson's raised beds yesterday. But, by the time I got there, the lighting was poor, and raining.

The soil in the L bed is about 30 yr. old manure a fellow hauled in for us. It is so nice and rich and yet loose. The plants have settled in so nicely I was very impressed. The other bed came from sod dug up at the hospital to enlage the parking lot. The right side is ok but the left has huge chunck in the bottom we will let break down over winter before planting any further.

Somewhere there was a thread that mentioned some sort of amendment to help break down the soil but I can't remember where.

I have all my hybridizing area in raised beds because of tree roots, these are off the ground with a bottom.


This one is the latest, its in the seedling area
you can see the shadow from the nearby tree
it's 60 foot long and 54 inchs wide.

I like those. Going to borrow some of the concepts.

I like yours being off the ground in your warm climate. Mine are on the ground for extra insulation in our cold weather. Interesting the difference in one area to another what we have to do. That is one huge bed at 60' long. How many seedlings are you able to get in there and what kind of spacing.

I spaced mine at about 9". The rows are not very even as had help and no matter how I told this gou and how many times they still ended up uneven.

Fred, that bed looks like heaven for a daylily!

Well, I think lots of you know I have lots of raised and terraced beds. This one is the one I call the Terraces garden which is near my kitchen door. It is a series of four terraced beds on on top of each other and built into the hill so that it ends up level with the top part (upstairs part) of my backyard.




You really need to open the picture to full size but when you do you see the different sections and how they are laid out. Years ago I have a wall straight up, it started crumbling and falling down. I had to do something or the hillside would fall down. The garage you can see there is built into the hill. The fist two sections are rounded and then the next goes up strainght and that section jogs back to the next straight wall.

I wanted something dramatic. I wanted it to look pretty and really make a statement even before any plants went in. This is what I designed and I do just love, love, love this garden.

Then there is this more simple design I call Tower Square between my house and driveway were I grow Tall Bearded Iris.








That bed is level and raised but because the property slops downward towards the street it is one of the small landscape ties high at on end and more than three at the other end.

And even more fancy are the ones I call the half round rose planterboxes in the front yard. Bult into the hill and curved.





In the second picture you can see how they tie in to the stacked stone wall running along the property line in front.
These are only a very few of my raised beds. I just have so many of them

Those are great, Rita! I have a big hill in my backyard. I always wanted to have it terraced. Now that I had to give up on it being a flower bed, and give away or kill all the plants - I am glad I didn't make terraces. But, I certainly like yours!

I remember Rita getting those done along the front and the drive and it was quite a job, but turned out so beautiful. Rita do they do anything in your area like yard of the week where they select a place like your for people to see.

I just love your raised beds Fred, I need your latest one in my yard, great work.

Vi

Stephanie, Not that I know of. I would send them away anyway. I am not interested in things like that.

It has taken me years to get the hardscape done here. I would just keep at it, getting one project done then doing another. My most expensive was my front walkway up to my porch and steps. The old ones were cement, original to the house and crumbling. Probably the least expensive fix would have been a cement redo but I choose to do with blocks because of the looks. Then when all the block samples were laid out I could have choosen a cheaper one but I went with the one that I truely loved. Of course that one was more expensive.

Then in the terraces garden that wall that was holding the hill was in pieces and falling down. Ugly and ivy covered. I swear the ivy was the only thing holding it up! I could have gone for simple which would have been much cheaper, but I went for what I wanted. Much fancier and a real show stopper. I have always been glad because I simply love it now.

I understand all of it, that is for sure. Just so glad it turned out so nicely and you and we can all enjoy it so much.

I have my bed off the ground because of tree roots. It the 60' bed I can get 800 seedlings in on 8" centers. I use half of it to line out my intros.