DIY Network

Garden Renovation This garden renovation comprises new flowerbeds, water feature, arbor and seating area. From "Grounds for Improvement" episode DGFI-309

Steve and Missy Brandon moved into a new house and inherited a formal garden area that the previous owners had plotted (figures A and B). While the Brandons love to garden, they want to soften up the area and create a seating area to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Landscape designer Dean Hill and Jackie Taylor, along with the Brandons' friends and family, get to work on a design that provides both form and function. The design includes building garden beds with a variety of blooming plants and creating a boxwood knot garden. An easy water feature and arbor add to the relaxing setting.

Figure A

Figure B

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Tools
shovels
rakes
wheelbarrow
landscape marking paint
hammer
screw driver
utility knife
miter saw
reciprocating saw
gloves
safety goggles

Building Garden Beds

The first part of this garden renovation is to clear out the existing plants and beds and to build new flowerbeds. An arbor entrance, vertical trellis for vines, and a seating area round out the garden.

Materials
landscape marking paint
8 (2x10x12) composite lumber
20 (2x10x8) composite lumber
8 (4x4x10) composite lumber
15 (6x8) composite lumber
3/4" deck screws
12.5 tons chipstone gravel
3.5 cubic yards compost
pine straw mulch

Plants
9 Green Velvet boxwood
3 Knock-Out rose
4 Clematis
15 Teucrium
4 Achillea
3 Heliopsis
6 Echinacea
3 Russian sage
3 Phlox
6 Siberian iris
3 Liatris Spicata

Figure C

The crew begins by removing existing plants, shrubs and garden bed frames. They mark out the new area for the beds with landscape marking paint (figure C). The design provides for aisles with ample space to walk through with a wheelbarrow.

They cut the composite lumber using a miter saw. Structural composite lumber won't leach and is an excellent choice for raised vegetable beds.

The crew assembles the garden bed frames and attaches them with three-quarter-inch deck screws. After two boards have been attached, they are secured with a 4x4 piece of composite lumber placed inside the corner (figure D). They check to make sure the frames are level (figure E).

Figure D

Figure E

Then they create a simple vertical structure for vines using three 4x4 posts (figure F). The top post is notched to fit on top of the vertical posts (figure G). Finally, they fill the new beds with compost (figure H).

To create a knot garden, the crew plants the boxwoods so that they form an "X" inside the bed (figure I). These boxwoods will eventually grow together to form a hedge and will give the flower bed four separate herb gardens. Other designs can be used in a formal knot garden, too.

Figure F

Figure G

Figure H

Figure I

The crew also constructs an arbor using a kit (figure J). Arbor kits are available in many sizes and styles. Following the instructions, they secure the pieces together with screws (figure K).

Figure J

Figure K

Figure L

Finally, they spread aggregate gravel along the pathway, to have a more solid ground to walk on, and spread a layer of pine straw around the new plants (figure L).

The renovated garden includes an easy-to-built arbor entrance to the garden (figure M), several flowerbeds with blooming plants, wide gravel aisles for strolling and tending the plants, and a new seating area for the Brandons to enjoy their garden (figure N).

Figure M

Figure N

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