A well-groomed plot always looks wonderful and pleases the eyes of its owners, but sometimes the areas of the plots are not so large that they can be used to create full-fledged alpine slides, large flower beds, etc. In this step-by-step instruction, we will show you a great solution to this problem in the form of a DIY spiral flower bed.
Materials
To build a flower bed you will need:
- bricks;
- stakes;
- pieces of reinforcement;
- wire in the form of a mesh;
- concrete solution;
- container for mixing the solution;
- Master OK;
- gloves;
- shovel.
Step 1. After carefully examining your site, sketch out the desired shape of the flower bed. Using this sketch, outline the actual dimensions of the flower bed on the site and dig a shallow trench.
Step 2. Lay the bricks, adjusting the height of the flower bed. In the place where it twists into a spiral, make the masonry higher. Be sure to strengthen this structure by inserting pieces of reinforcement into the ground at equal distances. Additionally, strengthen the brick wall itself by inserting and laying stakes and the same reinforcement between the bricks.
To create a flower bed, you can use not only whole bricks, but also detailed ones. In this case, you can insert tightly crumpled sheets of newspaper into the gaps between them.
Step 3. Cover the entire structure with a wire mesh on top.
Step 4. After the main structure is built, it must be filled with concrete mortar on top. When mixing concrete, consistency should be taken into account. The solution should not flow when applied to the wall. After applying concrete to the wall, you should wait until it dries completely. Depending on the thickness of the layer, this may take up to several days.
I am the same person who has land, but does not have a garden. The reason is really the prolonged construction of the house.
But I passionately dream of spice beds and an apothecary garden, so I’m collecting information on this topic.
I will throw it here, because... I know that among the readers there are those who are interested.
In our latitudes, it is quite possible to create a charming corner with a Mediterranean design by building a rock garden, spiral or round flower beds with aromatic herbs. To make the base, it is best to apply the principle of dry masonry. A vegetable garden or herb garden can be made of any shape, providing it with zones with perennials and annuals. Plants such as peppermint, lemon balm, and oregano (wild marjoram) can be grown in one place for years. And at the same time, use them fresh as an appetizing addition to food or as a seasoning when preparing hot dishes. Cutting branches does not harm the plants at all - on the contrary, it stimulates their development and lush growth.
Herbaceous plants do not require special care; they are hardy and undemanding. Their roots don't need too much space. In the wild, many herbs grow in crevices between stones, but there is not much land there. Therefore, in the garden it is better to create conditions similar to natural ones for herbs - spiral or round rocky flower beds, as well as alpine slides, are optimal for this.
Building material for a Mediterranean rock garden, or, if you will, a “designed vegetable garden” can be found in your surroundings. Boulders or stones can be collected both along the outskirts of fields and on your own site during excavation work. But you can use bricks, granite blocks, and cobblestones. Whatever material you choose, herbs will find their place among them.
Soil substrate for plants
Most herbs do not require any special soil substrate. Clay soils certainly require the addition of sand. In addition, compost never hurts - it will not only help loosen the soil, but also enrich it with nutrients. The best soil composition when creating a herb garden is garden soil, sand and compost in equal parts. In any case, you can simply buy a package of ready-made soil mixture at a specialty store.
Planting - when to plant?
Ideally, a herb garden should be planted in the spring. Then by summer the plants form a lush crown.
Even in the most sophisticated ornamental garden, such a herb garden will become a harmonious addition that will always attract attention. To plant a spice bed, it is best to choose a sunny place closer to the house so that it is convenient to use while cooking in the kitchen. The soil substrate is used depending on the choice of plants and taking into account their needs.
Element of a decorative garden - "alpine wheel"
The “Alpine wheel” flower bed for the decorative vegetable garden is made on a concrete foundation.
Raised sides made of wild stone.
Between the spokes of the improvised wheel, garden crops with colorful foliage are planted.
In the center of the landscape composition there is a small platform on which it is planned to place some kind of art object - a lamp, a garden sculpture, or just a container with a flower arrangement of annuals.
Flower garden in the shape of a “corner”.
In the picture you see what the flower garden will look like at the beginning of summer.
It is convenient to plant such a flower garden somewhere in a corner not far from the summer kitchen.
Medicinal flowers used for the flower garden:
1 - Echinacea purpurea,
2 - calendula officinalis,
3 - common tansy,
4 - Veronica officinalis,
5 - salvia officinalis,
6 - thick-leaved bergenia,
7 - garden quinoa,
8 - May lily of the valley,
9 - beautiful mullein,
10 - lungwort,
11 - coriander seed.
12. Hyssop officinalis
1. Curly parsley
2. Chives
3. Thyme
4. Salvia officinalis
5. Roman chamomile
6. Rosemary officinalis
7. Oregano
8. Tarragon, tarragon
9. Salvia officinalis ‘Tricolor’
10. Lemon-scented thyme
11. Lavender
Spiral vegetable bed
Try making a spiral vegetable bed with herbs or vegetables. This spiral provides microclimates and different types of soil for different types of plants. The top center will be warm, dry and sunny with well-drained soil. The lower parts will be cool, damp and shady. This way you can choose plants that fit well into each part of the spiral. Plus, you can plant a large number of plants in a smaller area, which is especially nice if you have a small yard. You will always have fresh herbs on hand for the table.
Advice
When designing a spiral flowerbed, keep in mind that for your convenience you should be able to easily reach any part of the flowerbed within arm's reach. The optimal diameter of such a flower bed is from 1.5 to 2.5 m.
1. Remove the top part of the soil and drive a wooden peg with a second peg tied to a rope into the center of the future spiral vegetable bed, mark the boundaries of the spiral. Mark with stones.
2. Fence the outer boundaries of the spiral with stones and cover with earth.
Advice.
Place cardboard on top of the removed soil layer to help prevent grass from growing. You can put a small layer of straw - as it decomposes, it will create a nutrient medium for plants.
3. Compact the soil and lay the next turns of the spiral of stones to the very top of the flowerbed.
4. Plant the plants in a spiral bed. In this case, the spiral flowerbed is a vegetable one, it is planted with thyme, sage, rosemary, and in the lower part - parsley, green onions and coriander.
Advice
Observe intervals when planting plants, leave 15-20 cm from each other. Do not forget that many herbs grow quite quickly, so they need to be pinched, trimmed, and not allowed to self-sow. This especially applies to aromatic and spicy herbs, such as various types of mint, thyme and hyssop and others.
PLANTS AND SEEDS FOR HERB SPIRAL BED (1)
Parsley (1 pack of seeds)
Nasturtium (3 plants)
Arugula (1 pack of seeds)
Peppermint (3 plants)
Dill (1 pack of seeds)
Lovage (1 plant)
Lemon balm (2 plants)
Sage (2 plants)
Mountain savory (1 plant)
Chives (3 plants)
Thyme (3 plants)
Oregano (3 plants)
Chervil (1 pack of seeds)
Marjoram (1 pack of seeds)
Sweet savory (1 pack of seeds)
Round flower bed with spicy herbs
A round flowerbed with a diameter of 2 m is divided into segments. The passages between them are paved with brick. Here, as if in a Romanesque garden in the Biedermeier style, a small column becomes the center of the composition.
On it rises a rosemary bush in a pot, and the base is surrounded by fragrant lavender.
PLANTS FOR A ROUND BED WITH SPICY GREENS (Number 2 in the picture)
Lemon balm (5 plants)
Chervil (1 pack of seeds)
Coriander (1 pack of seeds)
Allspice chives (1 pack of seeds)
Green basil (1 pack of seeds)
Red basil (1 pack of seeds)
Tarragon (3 plants)
Wild Reveler (1 pack of seeds)
Chives (1 pack of seeds)
Oregano (5 plants)
Dill (1 pack of seeds)
Borage (1 pack of seeds)
Lovage (3 plants)
Marjoram (1 pack of seeds)
Root parsley (1 pack of seeds)
Sage (6 plants)
Parsley (1 pack of seeds)
Arugula (1 pack of seeds)
Lavender (8 plants)
Rosemary (1 plant)
Review of some spicy aromatic plants - application, growth time, best place to plant:
| Plant | Height | Place | Culture | Application |
| Basil | 20-30 cm | Sunny, partial shade | Annual | Spicy greens |
| Nasturtium | Creeping | Sunny, partial shade | Annual | For salads and garnishing dishes |
| Lavender | 50 cm | Sunny | perennial shrub | fragrant plant |
| Lovage | Up to 150 cm | Sunny, partial shade | herbaceous perennial | Spicy greens |
| Oregano | 30-50 cm | Sunny | herbaceous perennial | Spicy greens |
| Parsley | 20-30 cm | Sunny, partial shade | Biennial | Spicy greens |
| Peppermint | 30-50 cm | Sunny, partial shade | herbaceous perennial | Additive to tea, spicy herbs |
| Sage | 50-70 cm | Sunny | perennial shrub | Additive to tea, spicy herbs |
| Chives | 30-50 cm | Sunny, partial shade | herbaceous perennial | Spicy greens |
| lemon balm | 30-50 cm | Sunny, partial shade | herbaceous perennial | Additive to tea, spicy herbs |
Such a simple and practical solution as using bricks to create flower beds allows you to decorate your summer cottage with single and multi-tiered structures. The work is creative and uncomplicated; any summer resident will be able to make beautiful flower beds, as in our photos, and, showing their imagination, inexpensively landscape the area with their own hands.
The use of brick allows you to create colorful flower beds of various shapes. Using new or used material, you can implement different design solutions:
- create a tiered composition;
- select zones in the flowerbed for different plants;
- mark the border of the flowerbed with a border;
- form a flowerpot or miniature flower garden;
- lay out a flowerbed with high walls directly on the concrete.
Moreover, the variety of forms is limited only by the owner’s imagination. You can make a tree the center of the flowerbed, ringing it with a brick border, or enclose a corner bounded by two walls of the building.
The most common flower beds are traditional shapes - round (island), square, long rectangular along a building or path. An original element can be a stepped or flat polygonal flowerbed.
DIY flowerbed
Let's look at different options for flower beds and the process of creating them with your own hands. In any case, you need to collect the necessary tools:
- shovel;
- trowel;
- construction mixer;
- hammer;
- putty knife;
- level;
- stakes;
- leg-split;
- roulette
The simplest thing is a brick border. It poorly performs the function of a fence, because due to its low height it does not retain water, but it can be very decorative.
Simple brick border Spiral vegetable bed
Try making a spiral vegetable bed with herbs or vegetables. This spiral provides microclimates and different types of soil for different types of plants. The top center will be warm, dry and sunny with well-drained soil. The lower parts will be cool, damp and shady. This way you can choose plants that fit well into each part of the spiral. Plus, you can plant a large number of plants in a smaller area, which is especially nice if you have a small yard. You will always have fresh herbs on hand for the table.
Advice
When designing a spiral flowerbed, keep in mind that for your convenience you should be able to easily reach any part of the flowerbed within arm's reach. The optimal diameter of such a flower bed is from 1.5 to 2.5 m.
1. Remove the top part of the soil and drive a wooden peg with a second peg tied to a rope into the center of the future spiral vegetable bed, mark the boundaries of the spiral. Mark with stones.
2. Fence the outer boundaries of the spiral with stones and cover with earth.
Advice.
Place cardboard on top of the removed soil layer to help prevent grass from growing. You can put a small layer of straw - as it decomposes, it will create a nutrient medium for plants.
3. Compact the soil and lay the next turns of the spiral of stones to the very top of the flowerbed.
4. Plant the plants in a spiral bed. In this case, the spiral flowerbed is a vegetable one, it is planted with thyme, sage, rosemary, and in the lower part - parsley, green onions and coriander.
Advice Observe intervals when planting plants, leave 15-20 cm from each other. Do not forget that many herbs grow quite quickly, so they need to be pinched, trimmed, and not allowed to self-sow. This especially applies to aromatic and spicy herbs, such as various types of mint, thyme and hyssop and others.
Flowerbeds on the lawn
If you have decided on the location and shape for the flowerbed, then first you need to outline the boundaries of the flowerbed. In this case, the shape of the flower beds is a semicircle; in order to mark the boundaries, tie a rope of the required length to two pegs. At the chosen place in the center, drive one peg into the ground, and draw a semicircle with the second.
Once the boundaries are drawn, remove excess grass
drive sheets of metal along the edge of the lawn (or dig in sheets of roofing felt, for example), so that the lawn grass does not clog the flowers.
To enhance the decorative effect of the flowerbed, the borders of the flowerbed can be covered with river pebbles - mark the inner border of the flowerbed with large stones (it should also be limited by sheets of metal). It is necessary to place geo-textiles under the main mass of pebbles, otherwise the vegetation will quickly clog the stones and you will never get rid of it!
Geotextiles- non-woven fabric made from thermally bonded endless fibers of 100% polypropylene. This ensures resistance to moisture and chemical compounds, in particular to alkalis, acids, resistance to rotting, the influence of various fungi and molds, rodents and insects, and root germination. The structure of geotextiles provides good filtering properties. Thanks to the optimal combination of its characteristics, geotextiles, in addition to traditional applications in road, drainage and erosion control structures, are widely used in the construction of roofs, foundations, drainages, land management, etc.
Fill the top with river pebbles and the flower bed on the lawn is ready. Such a flower bed is not afraid of rain, weeds and lawn mowers; you can drive wheels over it and mow the lawn level with the stones without using a trimmer.
Original do-it-yourself flowerbed with a brick border
This brick flowerbed with two small columns will become a real decoration for your flower garden. Containers with flowering plants can be placed on the columns along the edges of the flowerbed, enhancing its decorative effect.
First, dig a trench about 20-50 cm deep and fill it with gravel or sand. In this case, the edges of the flowerbed are decorated with two low brick columns. We need to start with them. Lay out a brick column of the required height (in the example, the width of the column is 1.5 bricks, the height is 6 bricks), fastening it with cement mortar.
A well-groomed plot always looks wonderful and pleases the eyes of its owners, but sometimes the areas of the plots are not so large that they can be used to create full-fledged alpine slides, large flower beds, etc. In this step-by-step instruction, we will show you a great solution to this problem in the form of a DIY spiral flower bed.
Materials
To build a flower bed you will need:
- bricks;
- stakes;
- pieces of reinforcement;
- wire in the form of a mesh;
- concrete solution;
- container for mixing the solution;
- Master OK;
- gloves;
- shovel.
Step 1. After carefully examining your site, sketch out the desired shape of the flower bed. Using this sketch, outline the actual dimensions of the flower bed on the site and dig a shallow trench.
Step 2. Lay the bricks, adjusting the height of the flower bed. In the place where it twists into a spiral, make the masonry higher. Be sure to strengthen this structure by inserting pieces of reinforcement into the ground at equal distances. Additionally, strengthen the brick wall itself by inserting and laying stakes and the same reinforcement between the bricks.
To create a flower bed, you can use not only whole bricks, but also detailed ones. In this case, you can insert tightly crumpled sheets of newspaper into the gaps between them.
Step 3. Cover the entire structure with a wire mesh on top.
Step 4. After the main structure is built, it must be filled with concrete mortar on top. When mixing concrete, consistency should be taken into account. The solution should not flow when applied to the wall. After applying concrete to the wall, you should wait until it dries completely. Depending on the thickness of the layer, this may take up to several days.