No question is stupid…

For those of you who don’t know, a raised bed is simply any section of your garden that has contained soil raised higher than the surrounding soil. (Hence, the term “raised” and “bed”). I realize that many of you are not yet familiar with standard gardening terms; in gardening, the term “bed” simply refers to the location of the plants–other than the yard. A good example is your own bed, or where you sleep You could sleep on the floor, but that wouldn’t make it a bed anymore than planting flowers on the lawn would make it a bed for your flowers.

In gardening, a “bed” is just a designated place for your flowers, generally elevated somewhat from the surrounding lawn. Like a bed. Technically speaking, most flower beds are raised at least alittle bit, just as a mattress placed on the floor would be slightly above the floor. When we speak of “raised” beds, though, we are talking about something elevated a bit more than the standard flower bed.A “raised” bed for your flowers, is more like a mattress ontop of a bedframe.

So, just how high off the ground should you plant your roses? Okay–

I’ll admit it–I would love to have the equivalent of bunk beds for your

roses–the higher the bed the better! But that would be alot of construction. The next best thing, in my opinion, is a wall with a drop off. Almost all of my roses are planted on the top of my rock wall, overlooking the street.

If you don’t have this option, read the post on “Raising Roses”. There, you will find instructions for a simple, yet adequate raised rose bed.

How to Build a Raised Bed

If you read the post on proper drainage, you know how important a raised bed can be for your roses root system.

To make the most basic of raised beds, simply nail four boards together in a frame, place right on the ground and fill with dirt.

It’s that easy.

More specifically, you want your raised bed at least six inches off the ground, so make sure that your board is atleast six inches wide. How long should each board be? Well, that depends–how many rows of roses are you planting? You need 2 feet for each rose bush, and 18 inches between them, so do your math, and plan accordingly. How thick should each board be? Well, it’s not critically important, but generally speaking, the thicker the board, the longer it should last.

Any wood rigid enough to not bend is thick enough for this season.
The most important thing is just to get that bed raised up as high as opportunity affords you. Work with what you have.