Blog>Ideas>10 raised border ideas for 2025
Last updated: 8 November 2024
10 raised border ideas for 2025
Enhance your garden with raised border ideas and create a decorative and practical planting zone for flowers, fruit and veggies.
Lara Sargent
Lara loves writing about every aspect of the home – from the latest colour trends to emerging designs. She has a lot of experience writing about home trends and interior advice for leading titles such as The Telegraph, Metro, and Homes & Gardens.
Raised border ideas are one of the most versatile features to help elevate your garden into something really special.
They're positioned above ground and are normally constructed from materials such as wood, brick, or metal. These raised bed border ideas show how to pack a pretty yet practical accent to the perimeter of your outdoor space - whatever its size or shape.
Raised border ideas
If you're sold on creating raised borders in your outdoor space, take inspiration from these beautiful raised garden bed border ideas and gardening tips.
1. Choose a sunny corner for raised border ideas
The location of your raised bed borders will determine to a large extent what you can grow in it. Therefore consider this carefully.
For a safe bet, choose a sheltered but sunny position. Areas of deep shade, such as sitting your raised border under a tree, will limit what you can grow.
Think about how much sun the raised border will get and choose your plants to suit. If you have a north-facing garden, research the varieties that suit shady spots.
Alternatively, freestanding raised border ideas (say a standalone box or planter on legs) have the option to be moved around the garden should your plants not thrive in their original position.
2. Use sleepers for raised bed border ideas
Choose from a variety of materials to build your raised border ideas, including brick, metal, or breeze blocks. Scaffold boards are a cheap and cheerful option and can be put together quite simply if you fancy a DIY budget garden project. However, for a longer-lasting structure, opt for wooden sleepers.
To help budget for your garden ideas with raised borders check out our handy cost guide.
3. Grow a kitchen garden in raised planters
If you fancy growing your own fruit and veg, raised bed border ideas are the perfect spot. For starters, raised beds warm up quicker than in-ground beds, making them ideal for sowing and growing your produce.
Not only that, you can create the perfect soil mix for growing edible plants in raised borders - especially if your garden soil is generally quite poor. This will help to ensure your raised bed kitchen garden produces a bounty of fresh fruit and veggies!
Read the seed packet or plant tag before you dig in as you'll need to know what conditions plants need to thrive. For example, heat-loving tomatoes, melons, and cucumbers need at least six to eight hours of sunlight a day. Be mindful of this and grow taller plants at the back of the raised border.
4. Build a wall to secure your raised garden bed border ideas
As mentioned previously, raised border ideas can be made from a wide range of materials including timber, breeze block, brick, or metal. Look at your space and work out how big, small, high, or low your border should be - and what materials will best suit your garden design.
Brick is a great choice for raised garden border edging ideas. Low brick walls can be built up at varying heights for added interest and to aid comfortable pruning and maintenance.
5. Plan out shrubs and plants in raised beds
The beauty of raised borders is that virtually anything can be grown in them, particularly as you can control the soil conditions.
But whether you fancy vegetables, fruit, cutting flowers, or herbs, it's a good idea to plan out your scheme before you get stuck in. Think about colours, how high the plants will grow, and what sort of light and soil conditions (acid or alkaline) they need to thrive.
You can mix up edibles and flowers to great effect in the same border too. Flowers like Zinnias and Nasturtiums will attract pollinators needed for tomato flowers and cucumber blooms. Plant a few extra flowers to leave for the bees and butterflies and then feel free to cut the remaining flowers to arrange in vases.
When it comes to dog-friendly gardens, raised border ideas are perfect for your pooch. Raised flower beds look beautiful and colourful and stop your dog eating, peeing on, or trampling over your beloved blooms.
6. Use the right soil to suit your plants
Raised beds can become beautiful focal points in the garden. Not only that, these relatively budget-friendly garden features are a real asset if you have poor soil, or soil that doesn't like the plants you want to grow.
Yes, raised garden bed and border ideas allow you to start your garden design fresh with healthy soil. For example, gardens with heavy, clay soils don't suit Mediterranean plants. But adding gritty compost to a raised border will provide the perfect growing conditions.
Likewise, adding ericaceous compost to chalky, alkaline soil will help acid-loving plants, such as Camellia and Hydrangeas, thrive.
7. Think about drainage for raised planters
Drainage is key in raised border ideas - particularly if you have freestanding boxes or planters around the perimeter of your garden.
Excess water will drain away if your raised border is on top of a lawn or existing low-level border. But you will need to create drainage if it's on top of concrete or paving slabs. Try rubble, stones, or crocks. And if you're stuck, contact a local gardener who can help out with all your planting queries.
8. Double up on seating with raised bed border ideas
Embrace extra seating opportunities by creating raised bed border ideas that are wide enough for sitting.
This is a particularly useful idea in compact gardens or patios where space for freestanding garden furniture is at a premium.
Next, stockpile a few waterproof cushions to transform your raised border into a comfy spot for guests for all your garden soirees.
9. Add plant supports to raised border ideas
Raised border ideas allow you to plant intensively. This way you get the most out of a small patch of ground which is a bonus for your small garden or courtyard.
To maximise your growing space even further, erect a vertical support to give your plants something to climb. Try a garden trellis, latticed panel, or willow screen for example.
These will help support climbers such as Clematis, Hydrangea, and Honeysuckle - rather than allowing the plant to take over the entire raised border. It'll make for the prettiest garden backdrop too.
10. Get the right width with raised bed border ideas
Raised bed border ideas are an amazing way to add interest to your garden. But how wide should a raised bed be?
There are no hard and fast rules but bear in mind that you want to avoid stepping on raised bed soil. So, as well as making sure your raised border ideas can accommodate the plants you want, the middle section must be accessible for pruning and maintenance.
As a general guide, 4ft (or 1.2m) is a standard width. For taller gardeners, this can be widened to around 6ft or up to 2m wide. Some experts recommend a maximum width of 1.5m.
If you're pushed for space, for example, in a courtyard garden, you could consider going as narrow as 1m. However these are best used to grow climbing plants or veg - and even these should usually be planted at least 30cm away from a wall or fence.
More raised border ideas for every size of garden
Make it modern: Try panels of galvanised metal for a contemporary, raised garden border edging idea. Sculptural and slick!
Tree time: If you want to plant a tree in a raised garden border make sure you provide enough depth for the roots to grow. The result is spectacular!
All the cage: Gabion retaining walls - steel baskets filled with stone are a great way to create striking and super practical raised borders.
Small wonder: Create a separate, secluded area of your garden with a courtyard framed with raised borders. The perfect spot for reading and relaxing.
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What are the benefits of a raised border?
There are many reasons why people choose to have raised borders and beds in their gardens. It's a means of growing non-native plants that might otherwise struggle to do well in the garden’s natural soil. Many people use them to create a fragrant kitchen herb garden. While others combine it as a handy garden seating spot. Raised beds also offer:
Better drainage – raised beds drain more quickly than in-ground beds
The introduction of different types of soil to your garden
A more comfortable height for gardening
Enhanced root health due to deeper vertical space
Fewer weeds and pests
The opportunity for maximum growth by fitting more plants in horizontally
Intensive planting – perfect for small gardens
Extended growing time into autumn and spring as raised beds stay warmer
Find an experienced landscape gardener to create your raised borders
Ensuring your raised border ideas are in the right spot, the correct width and height, and of suitable construction, is crucial. This is where an experienced landscaper comes in.
Check out our directory of verified and approved tradespeople to see who comes highly rated in your area. Pop your postcode into the box below to get started. It’s that simple!
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