Gardening Articles

Raised beds are strong design elements in any garden. They are created to surround a sunken garden, to provide changes of level or to grow certain plants where the garden soil is poor or unsuitable. Small groups of raised beds or a series of linked beds are ideal for an area that is mainly paved. A single and distinctive raised bed makes a perfect home for an attractive specimen.

In gardens where the soil is too poor or just unsuitable to grow certain plants and you still want to grow them, then the raised beds system is the perfect choice. They are extremely useful in these situations because they can be filled up with the type of soil that your plants will need in order to develop well, for example they enable acid conditions to be created in a garden with alkaline soil.

An other benefit of raised beds is that plants grown in raised beds have more room to develop and require less attention than those in tubs or other containers, where the soil dries out quickly. Raised beds also have the great advantage that they can be reached without stooping.

Recessed or kneehole beds also known as tabletop beds, make access particularly convenient for wheelchair users. A well-planted series of raised beds, makes gardening a practicable possibility for elderly, disabled or infirm gardeners. In these particular cases the height of the beds need to be tailored made to the requirements of the individual gardener and narrow enough for the whole bed to be within easy reach. The beds should be linked by easily negotiated, wide garden paths.