Raised flower bed with expressive flowers sprouting between rocks

DIY flower beds: photo examples, materials, types of flower beds

The big advantage of stone and brick flower beds is their relative accessibility. Certain types of materials, as a rule, are of low cost, and most of the work can be done independently. And at the same time, a flower bed made of brick or stone will become a bright accent in the design of the garden, harmoniously fitting into any style.

A variety of stones and plants will create a feeling of genuine natural beauty in the yard

Natural stone is durable, environmentally friendly, resistant to chemicals and extremely aesthetic. He is not afraid of temperature changes, which opens up great opportunities for its use in garden design. However, a serious disadvantage is often its high cost.

Materials for decorating flower beds with stones

For a flower bed, you can use a variety of materials:

• limestone;
• tuff;

Types of stones that are used to create and design flower beds

• sandstone;
• slate;
• granite;
• quartzite;
• basalt;
• pebbles.

An interesting idea for a simple flower bed using volcanic tuff and coniferous plants

Limestone has a pleasant natural color of light gray, white, yellowish-cream, blue, pink shades, which allows you to create interesting garden compositions. Due to its porous structure, the material is not protected from the aggressive effects of water and wind, but the resulting cracks are often filled with soil and used for planting various plants (primarily ground cover and mosses).

Stone flower bed fits perfectly into the natural landscape

A huge number of shades (white, red, purple, pink, orange, gray, brown, black), high strength and, at the same time, surprising ease in processing, volcanic tuff is one of the varieties of limestone. Most often it is used for artificial terraces or flower beds near water bodies.

Unusual flower bed using a flowerpot

The porous structure is also characteristic of sandstone. It passes air and moisture well, but rather quickly loses its original appearance and collapses. Nevertheless, it is widely used in garden design due to its wide variety of shades (from gray to reddish and sandy) and beautiful structure. Rubble stones and boulders look especially impressive.

A beautiful flower bed with tulips is decorated with a brick border

When decorating flower beds, slate is often used. A distinctive feature of this mineral is its peculiar layered structure and the ability to separate into separate plates. Fencing for flower beds from it can last for decades, while maintaining its original appearance and characteristic shine. Despite the high cost, slate is very popular among landscape designers. It is very plastic, absolutely waterproof, not afraid of fungi, chemicals, or temperature changes. As a rule, slate (especially boulder) is used to make raised flower beds.

Flowerbed round shape, beautifully framing the tree

Granite is not afraid of moisture or frost, it serves for decades and is distinguished by its amazing beauty. Its disadvantages include a very high cost and the ability to oxidize the soil. The latter must be taken into account when selecting plants, as a result, the scope of the stone is rather limited.

A raised flower bed can be used for zoning a place of rest

Quartzite reflects light, because of this, its surface shines and shimmers in the sun. A rich palette allows the mineral to be widely used in landscape design. Durable basalt is often used to reinforce slopes and create artificial terraces.

Limestone, due to its natural color, allows you to create beautiful flower beds

Widely used in the design of the garden pebbles. A neat appearance, a large selection of shades and low cost allow not only to protect the flower garden, but also to make it a real work of art. Most often, pebbles are used to create the outline of a flower bed. To give structural strength, the material is usually laid out on a cement mortar.

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Types of flower beds made of stone

There are many types of stone beds. Photos on the Internet and specialized literature give a detailed description and interesting ideas regarding the arrangement of each of them, whether it be:

• ordinary flower bed;
• raised flowerbed;
• gabion;
• rockery;
• alpine slide;
• terraced slope;
• Japanese rock garden
• arabesque.

An ordinary flower bed is a small piece of land enclosed by a border, usually of a clear geometric shape (round, square, rectangular, oval). The border itself can be laid out of stones in one or more layers.

The gabion is constructed from a metal mesh, filled with pebbles or rubble stone.

A raised flower bed is not only a bright and stylish accent in garden design, but also performs quite practical tasks. This design allows you to grow flowers in areas with poor soil, as well as significantly increase the usable area in small areas (especially multi-tiered raised flower beds).

Planting in a raised bed is easier because it is protected from weeds and many pests, and because of the height of the whole structure, there is no need to bend down to reach the plants. In a raised bed, it is easier to create suitable conditions for flowers and shrubs with specific soil requirements, for example, for hydrangeas and conifers that grow exclusively on acidic soils.

Gravel is often used as drainage for rockeries.

Important! Such a flower bed has its drawbacks. It is a capital structure that requires financial costs and competent planning. The soil in it dries out faster, but this problem can also be solved by installing a drip irrigation system.

An original solution for a summer cottage will be the installation of gabions — flowerbeds made of mesh and stones. This design feature allows you to give the flower bed any shape. Gabions are environmentally friendly, durable, provide excellent soil drainage and do not require large financial costs. With some experience, it is quite possible to build them yourself.

Terraced slope consisting of various types of plantings

Rockery, or rocky hill, is a group of large stones of different sizes, but of the same breed (most often, slate or limestone), picturesquely scattered in a small area. This is done to mimic a mountain meadow. Large stones for flower beds are dug into the ground into the ground for greater stability, and small pebbles are scattered nearby. Against this background, undersized shrubs and creeping plants (heather, juniper, dwarf spruce, thuja, stonecrop, miscanthus) look perfect.

An alpine hill is often confused with rockeries. A rockery is located on a plane, and an alpine slide is a complex multi-stage structure, in the center of which a large boulder is usually installed, and around smaller stones, on which various mountain (or similar) plants are planted with a well-developed root system.

A terraced slope is built from walls of various shapes and heights, made of crushed stone (quartz, granite, basalt), sometimes with the addition of sandstone or limestone.

The Japanese garden looks strict and elegant thanks to the overwhelming majority of stones.

The Japanese rock garden consists of rounded, often moss-covered boulders spaced apart. Its feature is the predominance of stones — boulders and pebbles. Plants are planted, but in very small numbers.

An arabesque is a regular flower garden of an unusual shape (in the form of an animal or insect, more often a butterfly) with strict symmetrical plantings of low carpet plants.

Making a flower bed from stones with your own hands. Photo flower beds made of bricks

Detailed photo and video instructions on how to create a flower bed from stone with your own hands (as well as from brick and other improvised means) can be found on the Internet. They are specific for each type of material, type of flower bed, conditions and topography of the site. However, there are general rules for laying a flower garden, which must also be observed.

How to make a flower bed of stones with your own hands

First of all, it is necessary to take into account the degree of illumination, as well as the level of humidity. And, already on this basis, choose not only plant varieties, but also the type of flower bed. For example, with a high occurrence of groundwater or regular stagnation of water on the site, it is worth abandoning ordinary flower beds and giving preference to raised flower beds or gabions.

Two stone flower beds frame the garden steps

The location of the flower bed is also important. Under no circumstances should a flower bed interfere with free movement around the site or watering plants. The type of flower bed also depends on this. So, gabions look best along the walls and near the fence. It is most appropriate to place an alpine hill on a small slope, like an arabesque, since the height difference will make it possible to see a fancy ornament well. And in the middle of the garden it is worth placing a raised flower bed.

The easiest option is an ordinary flower bed with a border. To do this, a trench is dug around the perimeter of the flower bed, filled with gravel and larger stones are placed on top, slightly pressing them into the ground.

Helpful advice! Before starting all work, it is necessary to draw a sketch of the future flower garden, make markings on the site, calculate the required amount of materials, carefully remove the top layer of the earth and separate it from the lower layers.

A small curb made of stones separates the area with plantings

For laying a raised flower bed, a foundation is required. To do this, it is necessary to dig a trench up to 25 cm deep, lay it out with cobblestones or pebbles and tamp it down. With the help of cement mortar, the outer walls of the flower bed are laid out, while they must be placed with a slight inclination inward and very tightly to each other. The most even stones are laid out on top, and the cracks are filled with cement or small stones. At the end of all work, you can fill up the drainage layer, then fertile soil, let it settle, and then plant the plants.

A flower bed, enclosed by a brick wall, will be a beautiful addition to the yard in a private house

For rockeries, you can use a flat area, or you can make a small artificial slope. Particular attention should be paid to stones — both boulders and pebbles should be well combined with each other.

Rock garden also requires a slope. First you need to remove the top fertile soil layer, tamp the soil, lay drainage and sprinkle it with fertile soil. The laying of stones should be carried out in the fall, so that precipitation and bad weather will allow them to sink. So the alpine slide will acquire the most natural look. It is important to leave earthen pockets in the joints of the stones, in which plants will be planted later.

Scheme of the device of the Alpine slide

Gabions can be installed independently. The simplest option is a square or rectangular gabion, for which you can use ready-made fabrics made of anti-corrosion wire mesh.

DIY brick flower beds: photo examples of the best ideas and building tips

Despite their simplicity and unpretentiousness, brick flower beds have undeniable advantages. Such flower beds do not require serious expenses, since for their laying you can use the material left over from the repair or construction of a country house or outbuildings. In this case, this is even an advantage, a house and a flower garden made of the same material will look harmoniously on the site. Moreover, even fragments of bricks or what remains after the demolition of the building can be used for flower beds.

Wave-shaped stone structure with green spaces

Even an inexperienced builder can work on such a flower bed, because you only need brick, sand, gravel (or crushed stone), cement mortar, twine and a couple of pegs. As with the construction of a flower bed made of stone, you first need to choose a suitable place, draw a sketch, mark the site, remove the fertile soil and dig a shallow trench.

Ordinary flower bed with stones and several types of plants

The trench is filled with sand, compacted, then with a layer of gravel or crushed stone (it will also serve as drainage). It is also well tamped. After that comes a layer of bricks.

Helpful advice! It is possible not to cement the first two rows of bricks with cement. This will ensure a normal flow of water and protect the plants from root rot.

There is another way to build a flower bed out of bricks (photos on the Internet often describe it). Instead of a sand cushion, the bottom of the trench along the perimeter of the flower garden is filled with a 5-centimeter layer of concrete. After it hardens, bricks are laid with cement mortar, and the first layer of bricks is laid below ground level, and gaps are left in the lower layer, also bonded with mortar, for water to drain. It is necessary to check the accuracy of the masonry level. The walls of the flower bed, as in the case of a stone, are recommended to be slightly tilted inward. After laying the walls of the flower bed, it is left for several days for the mortar to set.

A flower bed with a brick border decorates the yard

Do not rush to plant flowers immediately after laying the ground. The earth must be shed and left for 10 days so that it settles well. And only after that you can start planting plants.

These simple recommendations will allow not only to easily decorate a summer cottage, but also to create optimal conditions for the healthy and full growth of flowers and green spaces for many years.