Ideas for Building a Garden With Timbers

Tiers

• Tiered or terraced gardens can be a lot of work, but they elevate the landscape and put slopes to good use. Timbers can be joined to form short walls for each of several tiers into which various annuals, bulbs, perennials and shrubbery can be planted. They can also create a retaining wall-like structure to hold soil back at the lower parts of gardens or where erosion is likely. When planning the garden design, take into account the size of plants as they mature. A combination of rock and timber can be used to create rock-gardens for succulents, too.

Raised Beds

• Many home gardeners use raised beds made of timber frames. You can plant vegetables in these, or grow herbs and flowers. Timbers don't have to be shaped into the more common square or rectangular beds; try octagons and triangles for a more unusual look. Stacking layers of raised beds gives you a form of vertical gardening that also saves space. Similar to tiers, but usually in smaller spaces, they make easy work of weeding, cutting flowers or harvesting food.

Edgings

• Timbers can be used to edge ground level flower beds. Cut your beds from existing lawn or sod around the perimeter of your yard, then dig plank-wide shallow trenches in front of the beds. Place the timbers lengthwise into these as front edging to separate the beds from where you plan to keep grass growing. Backfill with soil and stake them every few feet to support the timbers and keep them in place. Another approach is to cut timbers into shorter sections and place them upright as edging pieces for beds. The boards can be different heights or all the same.

Other Timber Uses

• You can find many other uses for timbers in gardens. Some ideas include placing a bridge over a stream or making a dry bed from stones. Timber fences are good as backdrops in rustic gardens, and they also support tall perennials or vegetables and vines. Plank walkways add interest to gardens. The wood can also be used for simple garden benches, or cut into arbors and trellises for climbing roses and flowering vines.