Designing and planting a garden bed from scratch provides the opportunity to shape the space exactly the way you want, from how the bed lines flow to the plants that will provide interest all year long.
The key is to start with a goal, develop a plan and then follow it step by step. We’ll walk you through the basics to know before you begin. Then, read about the process in more detail in this full guide.
Design Your Garden Bed
Step 1: Define Your Goal
What is your goal for the space? Perhaps you’d like to enhance an underused part of your yard or screen a poor view. Achieving a garden goal starts by defining it.
Goal: establish a new garden bed as a natural extension of the surrounding woods.
Step 2: Pick a Place
Be precise, especially if you are creating a living screen or establishing a focal point. Examine the space from every angle to make sure your new garden bed will be in just the right place. Details to keep in mind: sun and wind patterns, proximity to irrigation, size of the space, and proximity to property lines.
Using inverted marking paint, mark out the bed lines for your new garden.
Step 3: Mark the Bed Lines
Next, mark the bed lines. An easy way to define a curved bed line is by laying out a garden hose and tweaking its placement until you have the flow of the bed just right. To draw straight lines, you could snap a chalk line or use a piece of dimensional lumber such as a 2x4.
Step 4: Record the Bed Dimensions
Stand back and observe. Can you achieve your garden goal with such a bed? Is it large enough to fit the plants you want to grow? A common mistake when constructing a new garden bed is to make it too small.
Once you have settled on your new garden bed’s size and shape, record its measurements to use in the next step.
Drawing your design to scale and using color can ultimately lead to a more satisfying result.
Step 5: Sketch a Design
Designs for new garden beds can range from a simple sketch to a detailed plan drawn to scale. Scale drawings can help you purchase the right number of plants for your space.
If you don’t feel ready to design your own garden bed, or if you’re looking for design inspiration, try our EZ Scapes™ landscape designs. These free garden recipes combine three to five complementary varieties of perennials and shrubs together, centered around themes like deer resistance and shade tolerance. Download the accurately scaled designs and bring them to your local garden center to purchase the plants.
Preparing Your New Garden Bed
If you’ll be planting in stages throughout the year, start with the largest plants first.
Step 6: Collect the Plants
Many people make the mistake of starting their new garden bed by buying plants. It’s wiser to complete the first five steps so you’ll make smarter investments in your new plants from the start.
If you will be installing the garden over time, start with the largest plants first. They will establish the “bones” of the bed and give it the structure around which everything else will be centered. Then, collect the perennials for the space.
A sod cutter makes quick work of removing turf to form a new garden bed.
Step 7: Remove the Existing Vegetation
There are several ways to remove existing vegetation:
Dig it out – The most common and fastest way of getting rid of what’s in the way. Be extra careful digging around irrigation and utility lines.
Cover it up – If time allows, kill off existing vegetation by covering it securely with a tarp pinned down into place and leaving it for a few weeks.
Kill it off – Herbicides can be used to eliminate existing vegetation. Be sure to use protective gear if you go with this method.
If your native soil is poor, it may need to be amended before planting, as was the case in this project.
Step 8: Test and Amend the Soil, if Needed
If you’ve never tested your soil or it’s been a long time, send a sample of the soil from your new garden bed in to your local University Extension Office for a soil test. For a small fee, they will analyze the makeup and chemistry of your soil and provide recommendations on how it could be amended to achieve optimal growth.
Planting Your New Garden Bed
Gather your design and the plants you will be installing, then set them in place according to plan.
Step 9: Stage the Plants
Gather together the plants you’ll be installing in your new garden bed, including any you have dug up for transplanting. Then, use your design to set the plants out in their allotted places.
Use a tape measure to get the spacing just right, keeping in mind there may be gaps between plants for now to allow them room to grow.
Installing your plants will go much faster and be easier if you have the right tools on hand.
Some people plant new garden beds in order from the largest items to the smallest. Others plant from left to right or back to front. Since you’ve staged all of your plants, there’s no right or wrong way to go about it.
Step 11: Water Your Plants
Settle the plants into their new home by watering them thoroughly. Doing so will help to eliminate large air pockets around the roots and alleviate some transplanting stress.
It’s best to do the first watering by hand so you can pay close attention to each plant and make sure it gets watered well. Subsequent waterings can be done by automatic irrigation.
Once you’ve installed your plants, mulch the bed.
Step 12: Mulch the Bed
Mulching with an organic mulch like shredded wood or pine straw rather than stone has numerous benefits. It keeps the soil moist, moderates the soil temperature and breaks down over time, providing nutrients to the plants as they get established. It also helps to prevent mold spores in the soil from splashing up onto the foliage and causing foliar diseases.
Here’s a look at the same bed you saw in the very beginning, now fully planted, complemented by brilliant orange native sassafras in autumn.
You’re done! You started with a goal, developed a plan, prepared the site and settled your new plants well into their new home. Your new garden bed is sure to bring you years of enjoyment.
Contributor Bio: Susan Martin is an avid zone 6 gardener and content creator who enjoys spreading her passion for plants to others across North America.
All images courtesy of Proven Winners.
All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.
Although the garden feels like it’s winding down, there is an opportunity to begin something new: next season’s flowers. For an interesting article on the topic, click here .
Click here to sign up for our monthly NEWSLETTER packed with great articles and helpful tips for your home, garden and pets!
