Planting
Raised Garden Beds for Flowers
Raised beds suit flowers that hate wet feet, like lavender and tulips, and they make a tidy cutting garden. Zinnias, cosmos, snapdragons and marigolds are the easiest place to start.
| Flower | Type | Plant | Spacing | Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zinnia | Annual | 1–2 weeks after last frost | 9–12 in | 1–4 ft |
| Cosmos | Annual | After last frost | 12 in | 2–5 ft |
| Snapdragon | Annual | Around last frost (tolerates light frost) | 6–9 in | 1–3 ft |
| Marigold | Annual | After last frost | 8–12 in | 6–36 in |
| Calendula | Annual | 2–4 weeks before last frost | 8–12 in | 1–2 ft |
| Sunflower | Annual | After last frost | 6–24 in | 2–10 ft |
| Dahlia | Tender tuber | 1–2 weeks after last frost | 12–24 in | 1–5 ft |
| Tulip | Bulb | Fall, before the ground freezes | 4–6 in | 1–2 ft |
| Lavender | Perennial | Spring, after last frost | 18–24 in | 1–3 ft |
Best flowers for raised beds
Zinnias are the most reliable cut flower for beginners. Sow seed directly once the soil is warm, pinch the young plants once at about 12 in tall, and they will branch and bloom until frost.
Cosmos grow fast from seed and keep flowering the more you cut. Rich soil makes them tall and floppy, so they are happiest in a bed that hasn't just been loaded with compost.
Snapdragons handle cool weather, so they bloom earlier than most summer annuals.
Marigolds and calendula are easy, compact and good along the edge of a vegetable bed. Calendula prefers cool weather and often slows in midsummer, then picks up again in fall.
Sunflowers work if you choose shorter or branching types and plant them on the north side. Single-stem cutting varieties can be grown as close as 6 in apart for smaller heads.
Dahlias reward a deep, loose bed. Plant tubers about 4–6 in deep after the soil warms, stake them at planting, and in cold climates dig and store them over winter.
Tulips and other spring bulbs need good drainage, which raised beds supply. Plant tulip bulbs about 6–8 in deep in fall. Many hybrid tulips bloom well only for a year or two, so treat them as short-lived.
Lavender, salvia and other Mediterranean perennials like a leaner, grittier mix than vegetables. A raised bed gives them the dry roots they need through winter.
For bed designs that show flowers off, browse our raised garden bed ideas.
A cut-flower bed layout
A single 4x8 bed can supply small bouquets from early summer to frost. Plant it in rows that run the long way, with the tallest flowers on the north side.
- Back row (north): sunflowers or dahlias, about 12–18 in apart, staked.
- Second row: cosmos and tall zinnias, 9–12 in apart.
- Third row: snapdragons and shorter zinnias, 6–9 in apart.
- Front edge (south): calendula, marigolds or sweet alyssum.
Taller cut flowers flop in wind and rain. Stretch flower support netting horizontally across the bed about 12–18 in above the soil when plants are young, and let them grow up through it.
Cut in the cool of the morning, and cut often. Most annuals respond to cutting by making more stems. Remove faded blooms you missed so the plants keep flowering instead of setting seed.
Soil for flowers
Most flowers grow well in the same mix used for vegetables: roughly 60% screened topsoil, 30% compost and 10% coarse material such as perlite or pine bark fines. Our raised garden bed soil mix guide explains how to blend and measure it.
A few adjustments help:
- Less nitrogen. Heavy feeding with high-nitrogen fertilizer leads to lush leaves and fewer flowers. A yearly topping of 1–2 in of compost is usually enough for annuals.
- Leaner soil for herbs and Mediterranean plants. For lavender, rosemary and salvia, mix in extra coarse sand or pumice so water drains quickly.
- Depth. 8–12 in of soil suits most annuals. Dahlias and bulbs prefer 12 in or more.
- pH. Most garden flowers do well between about 6.0 and 7.0. A soil test from your local extension office tells you where you stand.
Mulch 2–3 in deep after planting to hold moisture. Plan on about 1 in of water a week.
Flowers that help vegetables
A few flowers tucked into vegetable beds do useful work.
- Pollinators. Squash, cucumbers and melons need bees to move pollen. Zinnias, sunflowers, borage and cosmos near them bring more visits.
- Beneficial insects. Sweet alyssum, dill and other small-flowered plants feed hoverflies and tiny parasitic wasps, whose young feed on aphids and caterpillars.
- Trap crops. Nasturtiums often draw aphids away from nearby crops. Check them and pull infested stems.
- Edible flowers. Calendula petals, nasturtiums and borage blossoms are all edible and brighten a salad.
Marigolds are often said to repel pests. Some types reduce root-knot nematodes when grown densely as a cover crop, but a few plants along a bed edge do little beyond looking cheerful and attracting pollinators.
Keep flowers at the edges or ends of vegetable beds so they don't shade or crowd your crops. For more on mixing crops, see what to plant in a raised garden bed and starting a raised bed vegetable garden.
How to choose
For cutting
Zinnias, cosmos, snapdragons and branching sunflowers. Sow more than you think you need.
For low upkeep
Marigolds, calendula and perennials like lavender or salvia. They need little deadheading.
For spring color
Tulips, daffodils and other bulbs planted in fall, followed by annuals in the same space.
Alongside vegetables
Sweet alyssum, nasturtiums and borage. They stay compact and bring in helpful insects.
Related guides
- Raised garden bed ideas
- What to plant in a raised garden bed
- Raised garden bed soil mix
- Growing herbs in raised beds
Are raised beds good for flowers?
Yes. They drain well, warm up early and keep soil loose, which suits bulbs, dahlias and Mediterranean perennials. They also make a cutting garden easy to reach and tend.
How deep should a raised bed for flowers be?
About 8–12 in of soil is enough for most annual flowers. Bulbs and dahlias do better with 12 in or more, especially over clay or hard ground.
Can you grow flowers and vegetables in the same raised bed?
Yes. Plant low flowers like sweet alyssum or calendula along the edge and keep tall ones on the north side so they don't shade your crops.