How to Create a Gorgeous Raised Bed Garden

  This article could be called many things.  It could be called, “How to Create a Gorgeous Raised Bed Garden.”  Or, “The Evolution of Noelle’s Garden.”  “How to Build a Raised Garden from Scratch,” or “Total Backyard Transformation.”  Perhaps finally, it might be titled, “Turning a Whole Lotta Dirt into a Whole Lotta Beauty.”  Ha ~ you get the point!  Over the course of (many) years, I took a 1/4 acre piece of hard, volcanic Central Oregon dirt & turned it into an ever-changing series of raised beds….of all sizes.  I’ll give you a first-hand look into this journey here!

This is the “After” of my yard!! Which took about a year’s worth of work : )

And this photo was taken three years later….with a “She Shed” added on…

And in case you’re wondering….this was the “Before:”

“Before” = 1/4 acre of hard, dusty DIRT + weeds!! 

My Top Garden Priorities

I had a few very important priorities when beginning to design the garden:

• To create privacy from the neighbors above me, who ~ when I first moved in, were basically looking directly into my yard; 
• Do everything possible to enhance the property’s mountain views; & finally,
• To essentially create a mini-French country masterpiece of a garden, gaining structure & symmetry (plus making it FAR easier to plant) with the use of raised beds.

Step #1: Gather Inspiration for Your Garden

If you’re creating a large garden area from scratch, or even if you’re doing a major renovation of an existing space: the most important first step is to gather inspiration.  Discover your garden style.  Head to Pinterest.  Check out gorgeous gardens on Instagram.  Buy a gardening magazine….or ten.  Go to Yardzen’s website for help identifying whether you like a more minimalist, modern kind of yard vs. an English cottage-style garden that simply overflows with flowers.  Find out what you like, what you’re drawn to.  Do this before you even draw up your first garden plan.

The first time I heard of raised beds was through Joanna Gaines; she was one of my first major garden influences. Photo: HGTV.

GWTW Tip: If you choose to stain your garden beds, know that most stains will harm your plants ~ particularly if you’re growing fruits & vegetables. Opt for an organic or plant-safe stain.

My Two Favorite Influences…

In creating my garden, I had two primary influences: Joanna Gaines’ garden from the show “Fixer Upper,” & Misha from Farmluxe.  The first time I discovered raised bed gardening was when Joanna transformed a simple patch of farmland into a stunning flower & vegetable garden ~ complete with a pergola leading to a gorgeous “She Shed.”  The layout & design of both ladies’ gardens gave me tons of inspiration when I began to create my own. 

Joanna’s elaborate “She Shed”. Photo: HGTV.

GWTW Tip: Both ladies have beautiful “She Sheds” in their gardens; & each is a completely different style. Get all kinds of ideas for designing & creating your own “She Shed” in this article.

Take a Tour of Farmluxe’s Garden….

I think my #1 favorite garden belongs to Misha from Farmluxe.  She lives on a gorgeous farm in Bainbridge Island that’s absolutely SHOW-STOPPING!!  (Since I wrote this article, she’s actually moved to an even more stunning hilltop location in the San Juan Islands!)  She can grow almost anything in the moist Washington air, including an insane collection of dahlias.  I’ve gotten so many ideas from her about garden design & layout: when you look at aerial photos of her garden below, notice the symmetrical layout of her garden beds.  Some are square, others rectangular, & some even form “L” shapes.

I did this in my own garden (created an “L” shape with two garden beds) & created a fabulous little reading nook ~ which I’ll show later in this article…. 

This photo is EVERYTHING!!! Farmluxe provides SO much inspiration for creating a beautiful garden. Photo by Farmluxe.com

This shot gives a great overview of her layout: six pergolas surround two circular firepits & a central water fountain. Photo: Farmluxe.

I love how Misha uses garden beds to create all kinds of nooks & seating areas.  It’s as if you’re sitting right in the midst of the garden.  And the design idea I’ve copied most from her is the use of river rocks to create garden borders, which is a very “cottage garden” look ~ my favorite kind of garden.  I’ve used wood chips to create pathways, but river rocks to surround my trees & wildflower gardens.  It’s a less formal, yet beautiful look for the garden.

Meet Misha & her overflowing beds! Photo: Farmluxe.

At night, her farm looks magical. This is a beautiful meandering pathway through the garden. Photo: Farmluxe.

This is Misha, who created Farmluxe. I highly recommend checking out her TV channel & workshops! Photo by Farmluxe.com

GWTW Tip: Because raised beds are typically square ~ it’s nice to add circular elements such as fountains, a circular fire pit surrounded by Adirondack chairs, or simply an in-ground garden bed shaped as an oval or circle.

Magic in the fall….there’s a beauty to letting certain parts of your yard be a little more “wild.” Photo: Farmluxe.

Step #2: Sketch Out Your Garden Plan

  Okay, so by now, you’ve gathered inspiration for your garden.  It’s helpful to tear out photos from magazines that you’re inspired by & would like to incorporate into your own garden.  Now comes the fun part: Draw out your first sketch of the garden!  My first drawing (which can be found here) ended up being close to my finished garden ~ particularly with the placement of my raised beds.  I knew I needed the beds to create an initial structure, around which I could add winding garden paths, various seating areas, & eventually a fire pit or central dining area.

A shot of my garden from above! I originally drew this design out in a simple sketch.

Here are my top takeaways in regards to garden design:

• Design your garden to look its best from your home ~ especially from areas where you spend the most time. In my case, this is the kitchen, dining & living rooms, master bedroom, & two back patios: all of which look out to the backyard. Views from these windows ought to be your most beautiful.
• Before I plant anything in my yard, I step back to my house & see how the planting will look from there.  I often let the plant sit there for several days, envisioning how it will look fully grown. Will it block my view?  Will it create privacy from my neighbors?  Is this the right place for it, will it get enough sun, etc.  It’s always better not to rush plantings; take your time in choosing their home. Make sure things are going in the right spot.  Especially plants like hydrangeas…which can be really finicky.

Before Photos of My Garden

A reminder of what the yard looked like when we first moved in….a whole lot of NOTHING!

My first purchase was three 2X8 raised cedar beds from Amazon. They look a little bare here! 

This was the original view from the master patio, with a few things filled in ~ & the start of my first FIVE raised garden beds. 

GWTW Tip: The main reason to use raised garden beds is because, A) It’s way easier to plant in them, vs. trying to use a pick-axe & dig into ROCK HARD soil, like mine! & B) You can add gorgeous, rich organic soil to your beds ~ which is far easier to work with than most native soils, & where plants will thrive more easily.

After Photos of Garden…

“After!” Laying sod made the yard come ALIVE ~ giving a wonderful contrast to the golden wood chips, which I used to create borders & paths. Turquoise fountains, a circular fire pit area, more garden beds, & a row of privacy hedges in the far back started to create the basic structure…

Beautifully-aged wine barrels add a French country touch to the yard.

Like Farmluxe, I used river rock to create new borders along the right fence line; to break up a sea of wood chips.

The garden in winter. Evergreen arborvitae trees & wispy Karl Forester grasses form the heart of the winter yard.

And this is three years into the garden project….beautiful pink lilacs frame a gorgeous sunset.

“Before” Photos of Outdoor Deck

The best investment I’ve made in the backyard is to add a 30 x 12′ deck off the back of the house.  By raising the deck a foot off the ground, it enhanced the mountain views dramatically.  To create privacy from neighbors, I bought some relatively cheap white outdoor curtains from Amazon, to create two separate “rooms” on the deck.  The curtains are thick enough to withstand strong winter winds.

“Before.” Right off the house, it was originally dirt + concrete. 

Deck in the process of being built: we chose to use a fir base, & beautiful treated cedar boards from Lowe’s for the finished deck.

“After” Photos of Outdoor Deck

The outdoor deck “After.”

More “After” shots. The white curtains create privacy from upper neighbors. And I love the way they blow gently in the wind.

I had our landscaper build a 12-foot long raised bed on the end of the deck to “finish” it, & create a definitive edge. Charlie always helps with new plantings!

White curtains frame another beautiful Oregon sunset on the deck.

Simply raising the deck allows year-round, magnificent mountain views.

White Christmas lights are left up year-round, creating a lovely frame around the patio area.

Best Investments I’ve Made in the Yard:

• First & foremost, my raised garden beds form the foundation & principal structure of the yard; to date, I’ve bought SIXTEEN of them, ALL from Amazon!! They were super easy to build (less than 30 minutes) & come in all different sizes ~ including these cool three-tiered shapes, which I used for my “Veggie Garden” (I’ll show this garden below).
• Next up, my absolute favorite purchase has been a gorgeous outdoor fountain: the birds play in it every day, my puppy loves to nap by it, & the lovely sound drowns out the voice of my upper neighbor (I used to be able to hear every word of her phone calls)!
• So far, I’ve bought about six Adirondack chairs ~ & the ones purchased on Amazon were the easiest to put together; there’s virtually no set-up.
• A rattan outdoor couch looks great on the new deck, & creates a wonderful conversation area; this beautiful teak console table is set up directly behind it, giving guests a place to set glasses, etc.
• Two colorful outdoor umbrellas add instant color to the yard; I especially love the yellow one ~ it instantly “wakes up” the whole yard.
• I’ve used aged, 50-gallon wine barrels to plant some of my largest trees: a gorgeous Akebono tree, native willow, two peach trees, & two Magnolia trees. The beauty of planting large trees in a container is that it limits their size ~ particularly important if you don’t want your trees to grow over 15 feet or so (your neighbors will thank you).

How to Create a Raised Veggie Garden

  This section includes photos of one of my final frontiers: the left side of the yard, which isn’t visible from most of the house.  I waited to create this area because it wasn’t a top priority, & I decided to make it my “Veggie Garden,” as vegetables aren’t always the most attractive plants!  But I do love the tall, three-tiered beds for this garden ~ they add instant height to the yard, & are attractive even without plants in them.

Starting to take shape! Three-tiered beds allow LOTS of veggies.

One bed down….!! The added height of these raised beds is perfect for placing against a wall or fence ~ I placed climbers in the far back row to climb up & eventually hide the fence!

A different view of the “Veggie Garden.” 

One of my favorite summer reading nooks: I used two 4X8 foot cedar beds to create an “L” shape ~ & then tucked 2 Adirondack chairs into the “L” for a perfect little reading nook.

This fun & comfy hammock sits behind my “Veggie Garden,” private from the house ~ & these are the turquoise bird baths you see in my yard….which bring all kinds of birds in.

The Bottom Line….

Bottom Line: Take time letting your yard evolve & grow. There’s no rush! Gardens are an ever-changing, living, breathing thing ~ once you have your initial structure down, you can breathe a sigh of relief! From then on, it’s just fun…

It took THREE years for my garden to look like this!! But sooo worth it…

How to Create a Gorgeous Raised Bed Garden

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