The Best Low Maintenance Plants For Raised Garden Beds
By Victoria Fuller
So you have decided to start gardening in a Cedar Planters raised garden bed or planter box, first of all: hats off to you and your impeccable taste! Second of all, you may be wondering “okay well I have never gardened before and my thumb isn’t particularly green, now what?”. Well allow us to share a little expertise on some of the plants that we ourselves have had success growing even before we had any experience with gardening!
The following flowers and shrubs are known for being low-maintenance and are a great starting point for beginner gardeners, we hope that you "dig in" to growing some of these beautiful blooms this season!
Boxwoods
These versatile shrubs make a fantastic addition to gardens, pathways, driveways, and of course: raised garden beds! Boxwoods are popular for their versatility, hardy nature, and the fact that you can trim them into basically any shape that you can put your mind to!
Growing Boxwoods is as easy as pie! Boxwoods prefer full sun to partial shade, they like well-drained soil, and you will want to keep your eyes peeled for the elusive Boxwood Blight disease (but don’t worry if you notice that your shrub has come down with a case of Boxwood Blight, it is easily treatable with treatments that you can obtain at your local Garden Centre!).
The best option for growing your own Boxwoods is to transplant them directly into the soil of your garden bed and to water them 1-2 inches of water per week. Boxwoods enjoy partial shade and don’t need to be coddled too much!
Pansies
These colourful flowers enjoy partial to full-sun and also prefer rich well-drained soil. Pansies come in a massive spectrum of colours so having a raised garden bed devoted to Pansies is an incredible way of brightening up your outdoor space! Pansies are also known as “short-lived” perennials meaning that with proper care there is no reason that they can’t return season after season to brighten your garden! It is worth noting though that Pansies do tend to have their best growing season in their first year, and their performance can decline year after year so you may need to boost your planter box in year two with a few transplanted Pansies as well as last year’s crop!
Growing Pansies is incredibly simple whether you choose to transplant the flowers or grow them from seeds, Pansies like full sun in the morning and some shade in the afternoon., and about 1-inches of water per week!
Geraniums
These beautiful flowers are made up of a whopping 422 species of annual, biennial, and perennial plants! With such a vast array of options there is absolutely a Geranium for you, and the most popular type (the Pelargonium) is a beautiful flowering plant that is especially popular in hanging baskets and raised garden beds! Growing Geraniums is an easy feat even for new gardeners, Geraniums enjoy an area of the garden with full sun and moist but well-drained soil!
Hydrangeas
These colourful shrubs are also commonly known as Hortensia, and have over 70 species under their umbrella! Hydrangeas are a fantastic option for those without green thumbs as they require very little attention after being planted in moist, well-drained soil with protection from harsh weather such as strong winds and extremely hot sun! Growing Hydrangeas is simple, they like at least four hours of sun per day (preferably in the morning) but any more and they can wilt!
Lavender
This beautiful purple flowering plant is actually part of the mint family and has over 47 known species! Lavender? More like Laven-Damn! Planting Lavender around your home has many benefits as well (besides being beautiful!). The calming fragrance of Lavender is known to reduce stress, headaches, and depression, and if you choose to grow your Lavender in a Cedar Planters Western Red Cedar raised garden bed the combination of the fragrance of the Lavender and the gorgeous scent of the wood would be heavenly! The plant also has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties so it’s great to have in your first aid arsenal. Lavender is also a fantastic option to have in your garden to deter pests as the fragrance can be overpowering for certain damage-causing insects such as Aphids.
Growing Lavender is incredibly simple, you simply have to transplant the flowers into your raised garden bed, position the planter box in an area that receives full sun, and water your flowers once a week (but even if the soil becomes too dry the Lavender should thrive! Waterlogging is a much bigger problem for Lavender than drought, so Cedar Planters’ built-in drainage system is the perfect fit!
Marigolds
These beautiful flowers are sure to brighten up any garden bed with their iconic orange and yellow tones, and the best part about these gorgeous blooms is that if they are regularly pruned they can keep blooming all the way into November with the right climate! Growing Marigolds is fun and easy, Marigolds like full sun and need 1-2 inches of water per week in order to reach their full colourful potential!
We hope that at least one of these plants, shrubs, or flowers speaks to your personal taste! If you are interested in other easy-to-grow botanicals and would like to see more blog posts like this then please let us know in the comments section below!
