How to Build Decorative Walls With a Flower Bed

Decorative rock walls and raised beds have a unique, natural appearance, which can be enhanced by growing small plants in the gaps between the rocks. Rock is a versatile material that can be used to make sides on raised beds of just about any shape. A dry stacked rock wall can be constructed behind it to enhance an existing bank or mound, turning an eyesore into an eye catcher.

Things You'll Need

• Medium to large rocks
• Post hole diggers
• 2 4-by-4 posts
• Cement
• Shovel
• Survey stakes
• String
• Crushed sand or rock
• Rake
• Soil
• Chicken wire
• Flowers

Instructions

Preparation

1. Select a site. Place the wall at the base of the bank or mound and bring the raised bed out in front of it. The wall will prevent erosion of the earth behind it.

2. Dig a post hole next to the bank on each side where the border will meet the back wall. Cement a 4-by-4 post into each hole as tall as the bank. Allow cement to dry overnight.

3. Dig a trench deep enough to allow base rocks to sit on about 1/2 inch of base material and rest slightly below ground level. Your trench should be no more than half the height of the base rocks that you plan to use. Make the trench about 1/2 inch wider than the rocks.

4. Run a string between stakes on both outside and inside edges of the trench on the sides and front, at the height that you want the top of your border. Rocks can be dry stacked to create a higher edging for deeper raised beds, if desired.

5. Fill the bottom of the trench with 1/2 inch of crushed sand or rock to improve drainage and allow for settling from the ground heaving in low temperatures. Level out the base material with the back of a rake head.

Flower Bed

1. Place the base layer of rocks on the base material. Use larger rocks that are fairly uniform in size for the base layer. Place the largest rocks on the back edge of the border to support the taller construction: the rock wall.

2. Fill gaps on the outside edge with crushed rock or sand to about 1/2 inch below ground level.

3. Spread soil over the top of the rocks to fill in cracks and outside edges. Sweep the excess soil off the top of the rocks.

4. Fill the inside of the border with soil before dry stacking the next layer of rock. Alternate rocks and soil until border and flower bed have reached the desired height. Allow soil to naturally fill in the gaps between rocks.

5. Plant flowers in your raised bed once the wall is completed.

Wall

1. Add additional layers of rock along the back border, in between the two posts. Spread soil to fill in gaps with each layer, before you continue with the next layer of rocks. Do not build wall higher than the earth in the hill that it is banking.

2. Secure chicken wire to one post with a staple gun, and stretch it out across the length of the wall. Pull chicken wire across tightly to help secure soil and plantings. Secure the other end to the second post.

3. Plant flowers in the soil in the gaps of the lower layers first and work your way up the wall. Fill lower gaps with larger flowers, such as petunias, zinnias, pansies or daisies. Cut chicken wire to accommodate larger plants.

4. Fill gaps of the central layers of the wall with small flowers such as violas or dwarf marigolds.

5. Plant trailing flowers in the gaps of the upper layers. Choose flowers such as nasturtiums, geraniums or lobelia that will grow over the edge and down the wall to create a cascading effect.