Raised beds are a great way to grow plants, flowers, herbs and even vegetables. Beds can be built from timber, brick or concrete block & rendered. Some of the advantages of raised beds is that they add height to a garden, they offer a balance between the horizontal & vertical elements in the garden & they can be used to divide & enclose spaces in a garden. Raised beds can surround a seating area to define the space & create 'garden rooms'.

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In the scheme above we have included a timber frame structure above the raised beds. This frame was added to screen an unsightly view of surrounding houses & also to add privacy to the garden. Vine & climbers can be positioned under the posts to allow them grow up & over the frame adding further cover & privacy.

When building raised beds, it can be nice to work with a number of different levels of beds. This can link the paved ground space with the raised beds above & allow you to create a cascading layer of plants. Our beds have been built from reclaimed red brick & topped with a sandstone capping. The main bed is 80cm in height with one lower bed 40cm in height. Next, down from this is a slightly raised patio space which then steps down to a lawn area.

Plants in this plan includes the following...

• Acer Palmatum - Japanese Maple Tree
• Buxus Sempervirens Topiary - Box Balls
• Carex Chocolate
• Astilbles
• Phormiums
• Heuchera Purple Place
• Weigela Purpurea
• Phlox

When planting raised beds, you should keep to plants that don't grow too big. The largest plant in this plan would be the Japanese maple & this is planted on its own in the lower raised bed. It will fill out & offer shade on the patio space.

The Wiegelia is the next biggest plant. These grow approx. 1m wide & high. Anything bigger than this would look out of place in this scheme.

The flowering colour of thyme is a range of pinks & purple. These look great with the copper / bronze colours of the Heuchera, Phormiums & Weigela foliage.

To add further interest, the mix of leaf shapes include the bold, rounded Heuchera, the grasses of Carex chocolate, the compact canopy of the box balls & the long strap-like leaves of the New Zealand Flax (Phormium).