DIY Broken Concrete Project for Flower Bed
I’ve always been big on snipping a few stems from the garden, and bringing them inside to enjoy on the kitchen counter or in a small vase for a simple tablescape. Today I’m sharing our latest DIY Broken Concrete Project for Cutting Flower Beds.
I also always dreamed of lush flowerbeds overflowing with colorful blooms, but then I realized that one small area is all that I needed.
Repurposing old for new.
Last year that dream came true when my husband–who’s always repurposing something old into new–took our neighbor’s chiseled out concrete from their patio they were replacing, and built me new flower beds.
DIY retainment wall.
Seriously, these broken pieces were going to the dump when Paul and our neighbor put their heads together to build a side bed between our properties.
New flower beds.
Then we got our older boys involved and they made me this for Mother’s Day last year.
I loved how unique it was, back behind our house, out of the way.
Unassuming.
Simple. (Potatoes growing behind the cross.)
Perfect for what I was looking for: A simple flower bed to cut and to enjoy, for easy entertaining.
How to plant a cutting flower garden:
-Design an area with easy access for cutting flowers, but out of the way, such as in a back corner of a yard, side yard, or a place that gets a lot of sun with rich, well-drained soil. Make sure it’s large enough to plant a variety of flowers, giving them room to grow.
-Plan out what kind of flowers you love, the varying heights, and the need for sun or shade.
-Create a walkway for easy access, and easy weeding!
-Water, feed, and deadhead flowers regularly to get the most blooms.
-Cut flowers in the early morning or evening, not in the heat of the day when they aren’t as perky.
-Mix and match the plants with perennials and annuals. Your favorite perennials will come back year after year; annuals are for that year only. The more colors and heights, the more creative you can be with making arrangements for a tablescape.
-Flowers are a lot like lettuce, as they really do need to be picked in the cooler part of the day.
This year I’ll be planting some new varieties–I haven’t planned it out yet. But I sure enjoyed the flowers last year.
I also really wanted to share this idea with readers early in the spring, just in case you might be doing a little DIY on your property, or you’re interested in reusing and repurposing something you thought should go to the landfill.
Think outside of the box.
Sometimes it only takes a little “thinking outside of the box” to get a cool project going!
In this case, broken concrete for something beautiful!
Do you have a Cutting Flower Bed – and if so what are your favorite flowers?
Love this! The repurposed wall next to the driveway looks amazing. Have you planted catmint (Nepeta) before? It is my new favorite perennial that cascades over edges with silvery leaves and purple blooms.
I will check out catmint, Meredith. I bet Paul knows about it … :) Thanks for checking out our DIY!
I don’t have a cutting flower bed but I do love hibiscus flowers, especially the ones that come back every year. Hopefully a hummingbird or two might enjoy them also.
Great idea. One year I used a bunch of old bricks to make an herb bed in our backyard. Our church had purchased a lot adjacent to our existing building and it had an old house on it that needed to be burned down…when it was all burned to the ground, I went and salvaged some bricks. I love the idea of re-purposing.
Oooh, good idea. Herb bed with old bricks! :)