How to make a flower bed against the house

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How to Build a Planting Bed Against a House. Garden beds against your house allow you to add plants that complement your home design. You can create a planting bed, instead of s… More

Heather Bell

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Garden beds against your house allow you to add plants that complement your home design. You can create a planting bed, instead of simply planting flowers directly into the ground, to gain greater control over weeds and grass encroachment. A well-planned garden bed also lets you customize the soil mix to meet the needs of your plants. When you use distinctive materials to build a planting bed, the bed itself accents your home design as well.

1. 1.

   Select the spot along your house for your planting bed. If you have specific flowers or plants in mind, consult your nursery or other resource to find out what climate conditions those plants require so you can position your planting bed accordingly.

2. 2.

   Measure the area where you wish to place the bed, and mark it with spray paint, spray chalk or another material that can be safely applied to grass or dirt. The length of the planting bed can vary, but the width should be no more than 2 to 2 1/2 feet from the house for ease of watering and care.

3. 3.

   Till the soil within the marked area to a depth of 8 to 10 inches, removing any rocks, large roots or other debris you encounter. If your soil is high in clay or sand, remove approximately half of the tilled soil and mix it with additional topsoil and organic material, such as peat moss or compost. Then combine it with the remaining soil in the bed.

4. 4.

   Create a boundary around the planting bed. Make the boundary from garden edging or stones if you want to keep the planting bed even with the ground around it. Make a raised bed using bricks, decorative cinder blocks, lumber or another appropriate weather-resistant material to build a boundary of the height you want your raised bed to reach.

5. 5.

   Smooth the soil within your bed's boundary. Add additional soil if necessary to fill in the area, which may be necessary if you constructed a raised bed. Avoid stepping in the bed or leaning on the soil with your hands while creating the bed.

6. 6.

   Dig holes for your flowers and other plants, allowing space between the plants for root growth according to nursery or packaging recommendations. Plant your flowers and other plants. Water the bed well once you've finished planting.

7. 7.

   Water the plants in your bed as needed to help them develop new root growth, then less frequently according to their specific needs. This is especially important if you use a raised bed design, because raised beds dry out faster than planting beds at ground level.

   Things You Will Need

   • Spray paint or sprayable marking chalk

   • Tape measure

   • Spade, shovel or tiller

   • Topsoil

   • Organic material, such as peat moss or compost

   • Boundary materials

   Tip

   Dig a trench 6 inches deep and fill it partially with gravel if you are building a raised planting bed so the bed walls can rest on the gravel. This makes the bed walls more secure once the trench is filled in and provides additional drainage under the walls.

   Warning

   A planting bed next to your house can sometimes lead to excess dirt on the brick or siding. In some climates, it can also cause mildew, and may even lead to an increased rate of decay on wood siding. Install gutters above the planting bed to prevent runoff from splashing into the bed from the roof, and inspect the brick or siding near the bed regularly for signs of dirt or damage.

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