Raised garden beds offer a unique gardening opportunity for intensive planting in a small space. With nutrient-rich soil, raised beds are ideal for producing a variety of edibles such as herbs, greens, root crops, and fruit, as well as some beautiful flowers that attract pollinators.
Not only is the space very efficient, but you can get creative and use different strategies like trellising to fit even more plants into an area.
For example, just nine square feet can plant chives, pansies, radishes, cabbages, Swiss chard, kale, and maybe even a sugar snap pea plant up a trellis! To start your raised bed garden journey, plan what you want to grow – varieties of edibles, companion placement, and types of flowers – before filling your bed with nutrient-rich soil or compost. Then watch in delight at the abundance of produce growing in the small space.
Table of Contents
10 Best Flowers for Raised Garden Beds
1. Salvia
Salvia is a beautiful perennial plant that comes in wide varieties. The popular ones are the black and blue salvia varieties. Salvia nemorosa is unique as it has purple flowers from summer to autumn. Its blooming time is from late spring to early summer, making it perfect for those living in hot and dry places.
Due to their hardiness, low maintenance needs, wide range of colors, and stunning blossoms, salvia plants are an ideal choice for gardeners looking to add some interesting elements to their landscape design. It also gives off a pleasant scent when in bloom, making it even more attractive than other garden plants.
Furthermore, because it’s considered an evergreen herbaceous foliage, salvia only needs to be pruned once or twice a year during the active growing season, making it easy for beginners and experienced gardeners alike to care for. With all these attributes merged into one flower, you can’t go wrong with adding salvia to your garden.
2. Lavender
Lavender is an amazing choice for gardeners because it adds a bright and aromatic pop of color to any space. Not only does lavender look beautiful, but its fragrant scent will fill the air and bring pleasure to anyone who visits your garden.
Lavender is best grown in raised beds with lots of sun, as this weather helps them thrive. The most common variety is Platinum Blonde which is characterized by yellow stripes in its foliage. Planting it alongside other flowers and plants can give you gorgeous colors and aromas.
Remember to give them plenty of room when planting lavender as they spread quickly. Although drought-tolerant, they’ll come into their own if given enough water throughout the season.
Pruning your lavender regularly will keep it neat, tidy, and healthy – regular pruning will also encourage new growth in springtime. Lavender looks beautiful when planted along borders and edges or even potted for container gardening – either way, it will look like starlight has encircled your plot!
3. Asters
Aster is a beautiful daisy-like flower that blooms in the late summer and fall months. It produces clusters of small flowers in shades of pink, purple, white, yellow, and blue.
Asters come in wide varieties and sizes so that you can choose smaller ones for shorter raised beds or taller varieties for higher beds. Plant them in full sun for vibrant blooms or partial shade for softer hues.
Asters are also easy to care for and require minimal maintenance. They will thrive in well-drained soil and need regular watering throughout the growing season. Deadheading spent flowers is a great way to keep them looking their best – this will also help encourage more blooms. Asters look beautiful when planted alongside other late bloomers, making a great addition to any garden.
4. Coreopsis
Coreopsis is a beautiful, tall flower with bright yellow blooms that blossoms all season long. This perennial daisy-like flower is perfect for adding height and interest to your raised bed garden.
Coreopsis grows best in full sun, so be sure to plant them in a spot with plenty of direct sunlight. They are drought-tolerant and need minimal maintenance, making them an ideal choice for beginner gardeners.
Coreopsis is a great way to add pops of color to your garden without fuss. Pruning spent flowers will help keep them looking fresh and encourage more blooms. Planting coreopsis in a raised bed will help show off its beautiful blooms, so give it a spot of honor in your garden.
5. Cosmos
A bright and cheerful addition to any garden, the cosmos is a popular flower for its low-maintenance needs and long-lasting blooms. These daisy-like flowers come in shades of pink, purple, white, and yellow, adding a cheery atmosphere to your raised garden bed.
Plant them in full sun for the best results – they’ll thrive in well-drained soil and need minimal maintenance.
Cosmos are easy to care for and typically only need to be deadheaded or pruned once or twice a year. To create a stunning garden display, they look great when planted alongside other flowers, such as daisies, lavender, and coreopsis.
6. Zinnias
Bright, cheerful, and easy to grow, zinnias are popular for gardeners of all skill levels. These colorful flowers come in various shapes, sizes, and colors – from bright reds and purples to white and yellow – so you’ll surely find something that fits your garden’s aesthetic.
Plant them in a spot with plenty of sun and regularly water them throughout the growing season.
Zinnias are also low-maintenance, so all you need to do is deadhead spent flowers and give them occasional pruning to keep them looking their best. Planting zinnias in raised garden beds will show off their bright blooms and add color and texture to your garden.
7. Marigolds
Marigolds are a must-have for any garden, and their bright yellow and orange blooms will surely add a cheerful touch to your raised bed. These sun-loving flowers come in wide varieties and sizes, so you can choose the type that best suits your garden’s needs. Plant them in full sun for vibrant growth; they’ll need regular watering throughout the growing season.
Marigolds are easy to care for and require minimal maintenance, so all you need to do is deadhead spent flowers and give them occasional pruning.
They also deter pests, such as aphids and other insects, from invading your garden. Planting them in a raised bed will show off their beautiful blooms, so give them a spot of honor in your garden.
8. Phlox
Phlox is a genus of colorful flowering plants that offer attractive colors and fragrances to your garden. They have a wide cultural value and apply to almost every use – from flower beds to covering walls and rockeries.
The blooming season for phlox starts in late spring and continues through autumn. There are wide varieties of phlox, including perennial species like Phlox paniculata and Phlox subulata, whose flowers range from pink, purple, and white to crimson in color.
These plants thrive best in moist but well-drained soil in the full sun, making them ideal for early spring flower beds or your home’s landscape walkways. It prefers filtered light during the hottest summer hours but needs to provide enough nutrients as they grow rapidly during its blooming season.
They can be easily grown in borders or near retaining walls, making them an ideal ground cover or border plant you would appreciate! If you are looking for a cascading background of colored hues with a lot of variety, then nothing comes closer than planting this stunning beauty called phlox flowers.
9. Sweet Peas
Sweet peas are a gardener’s favorite, with their colorful and delicate petals. These flowers aren’t just decorations in the garden; they provide food for other creatures like birds, bees, butterflies, and even small rodents.
Sweet peas can be planted in trellises built on raised beds to be displayed at their best. Planting sweet peas alongside beans, peas, and other climbers will result in a beautiful display of colors and can easily be arranged to create an eye-catching contrast.
In addition to making your raised beds look more attractive, planting sweet peas also has functional benefits; these lovely blooms attract insects that help pollinate other plants in your garden, come back year after year, and create perennial displays of beauty.
Sweet peas’ attractive petals make them perfect for cutting florets and using indoors, too—they bring the outside into any home. Easy to grow and maintain, sweet peas’ versatility makes them the ideal flower for both backyard gardens and indoor pots.
10. Yarrow
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is an attractive flowering herb that adds beauty to any garden. It is often seen in beds and borders, especially in gardens with full sun. Yarrow’s fast growth distinguishes it from other plants – it can quickly fill your garden.
Well-drained and sandy soils are recommended for growing yarrow; watering should be done daily when temperatures rise to achieve the best results with this herb.
When planted, yarrows stand tall at about 2 to 4 feet high and bring a mixture of beautiful shades – red, white, peach, orange, and yellow flowers that last all summer long.
The presence of this plant in a landscape will significantly increase its attractiveness as the ease of care makes this flowering herb one of the top choices for gardeners.
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]
1. What Should I Fill A Raised Flower Bed With?
Filling your beds with soil is the first option. This is the most straightforward route to take, as you may have guessed, as it is the most straightforward. Using a rake or shovel, lightly mix topsoil with compost mix to create a 2:1 ratio, then fill your bed with a mixture of topsoil and compost mix.
2. Are Raised Beds Good For Flowers?
Raised beds are excellent for growing flowers due to their improved drainage and aeration. This makes them ideal for planting bulbs, corms, and many annuals and perennials. The soil in a raised bed will warm up more quickly in the spring, which means that wide varieties of flowers can be planted sooner, resulting in a longer bloom time.
3. Do Plants Grow Better In Raised Beds?
Raised garden beds are an increasingly popular way to grow plants and vegetables at home. Plants can be grown in raised beds successfully with the right soil, drainage, and water management. The soil in a raised bed is usually better than in traditional garden plots because it’s easier to keep free of weeds, pests, and diseases.
Conclusion
Many beautiful flowers can be planted in raised garden beds to add color and depth to your garden. Marigolds, phlox, sweet peas, and yarrow are some of the best options for a raised bed, as they require minimal maintenance and can provide stunning blooms all season long. These flowers will attract beneficial insects, making them an asset to any garden.
