>> Will they look ok if I don't pour a footer or mortar them together or just do one row?
I think they look fine, but my standards are low! If you level their base and nudge them into tidy alignment, that seems plenty tidy to me.
Someone smoothed off her blocks a little and then PAINTED them. Classy!
I like the brick-red concrete paving stones, but your price for an 8x8x16 cinder block is a lot like my
3/4" x 8 x 16" or
1" x 12" x 12"
And your 8" row will be a lot more stable than my 8" or 12" or 16" leaning wall. I do have to straighten mine up every few years since I didn't glue or mortar them. I like to be able to re-shape, widen or narrow beds.
