I make my raised beds out of sandbags, and it seems to work really well for me. I'm so clueless with tools and wood that I'm not sure which end of the hammer you hit things with, so that wasn't an option; and I can't afford stone, so bags of sand turned out to be the way to go, for me. I was lucky enough to get all the bags (already filled!) for free the first year, from the soil testing lab at the engineering firm I work for. (That hasn't worked out as well in the last few years because I need so many bags at a time, but the bags only cost about 15-25 cents each, and a pick-up truck load of whatever sand is cheapest at the landscaping facility to fill them with is only 11 dollars). I use the 15" by 27" white polypropylene UV-treated sand bags with tie strings attached. They hold up pretty well for me, usually a year or more. Eventually, they start ripping (probably because I sit down on them to weed so often, and I'm not skinny :), and I dump out the sand that was in the bag, mix it with some compost, and toss it in the veggie beds. The beds honestly don't turn out as tacky-looking as they sound. (I wish I had a camera!) Stacked 2 bags high like I have them, in a half over-lapping brick pattern; and because the bags are plain white, it just kind of looks like big pieces of fieldstone, especially with the mulch all around the beds in the paths. If you wanted to try something similar, check your local phone book for geotechnical engineering firms, paving companies, concrete plants, commercial borrow pits and rock mines and quarries. Also your local branch office of the US Dept. of Transportation. All those places have full sand and rock sampling bags laying around all the time, and usually just heave them into dumpsters. They also usually also have stockpiles of various kinds of dirt: and all that black, organic, grass & wood debris-filled dirt that concrete and paving contractors PAY to haul off their job sites and have disposed of is free gardener's gold.

You have to build a retaining wall out of stone to get higher than 10-12". Small beds of one foot height or less can use the standard garden centers' Retaining Wall Blocks. Pick your style and color. ...I suggest a small bed, very small, like 2'x4' x 1' high as an initial project. It is not hard but is labor intensive. You will need to get an inch or two into the subsurface... 4"x6" lumber will work for that size too; even 4x4's. However, you will want to stack heavy stones on them so 4x6 is best(with the 6" side on the ground). You can use cedar or redwood if pressure treated cannot be used. ( BTW, That is expensive lumber. ) For taller structures you need some larger blocks such as those from Anchor Wall Systems. They are called gravity walls because gravity is the equalizing force to sub' for those stakes. You can build 18", 24" and for some of the blocks even 36" gravity walls. Anchor Projects AWS Products Now if you have big, heavy(50+lbs) stones in the area, you could use those rather than purchase cut ones. Gathering them should be fun -take your shotgun. ... You can make a frame of 2x12xY' lumber and stack stones on and around it too. The frame by itself will not work without support in the long term. (short term w/b okay) I rec' that you look for landscaper in the area and tell them what you want. So many beds is a big project and take my word for it, those retaining wall blocks used for 2'+ high walls are very heavy(70 lbs ea.) when moving and stacking a hundred or more of them. And you will need a lot more than 100 ... Now, here's a novel idea for you if you want to be earthy and practical. Use bales of hay. Entire homes have been built that way. I have no experience building structures with them so you have to Google... Just so you know, pressure treated lumber is not harmful to people, plants or the environment when used properly. Five years or so ago, it might have been ( and was dangerous to some really stupid people ) but that kind of PT lumber is not made anymore or sold anywhere in the USA. It would be, relatively, simple to construct a 8'x8'x1' bed with landscape timber; I've done it here and am about to do it again for a base wall for a garden house. It is like making toothpick houses but instead of glue at the corners one uses 5" spikes ... there are plans on the net. E.g.: Raised Bed Project Again, however, without stakes in the ground you will have to add weight to the top. The taller it is, the more that is needed. Sides will need support too if the structure is very long... Good Luck!

Spring flowering bulbs are often included in rock, gravel or scree gardens. Usually because these types of gardens offer the very good drainage that these bulbs require as well as full sun. However the 'rock' in these cases is included throughout the soil mix, not just as a top layer or mulch. I would avoid having too thick a rock layer where the bulbs are planted - maybe just a single layer of rock - but the bulbs should be able to grow through a light rock mulch easily.

Rather than gravel or crushed rock, I prefer something with a larger texture, like small diameter river rock. Walking on it is difficult but in a planted area with mostly conifers, walking through it is not a huge necessity!! Add some larger rocks and few boulders well embedded in the ground and you have a ready-made design! A couple of thoughts - IMO, this looks best if on a mounded bed or sloped area - a perfectly flat surface just doesn't quite make the cut :-) Also, if you are restricting the plantings to primarily conifers and minimal use of other smaller spreading or groundcover type plants, this IS a situation where I would use a landscape fabric under the rock (and you will NOT find me stating that often :-)) It is far too easy for the rock to become incorporated into the underlying soil, making future amending difficult, should it ever be necessary. It will also help to deter weed growth from underneath but debris will always accumulate on top and that can encourage weed growth in the rocks themselves. But that should be easy to remove. Just keep the fabric away from the base of the conifers to allow for good water penetration. A larger rock diameter makes blowing easier as well. Any heat generated from a rock mulch will be easily tolerated by most conifers - that should not be a concern. One of the best examples of this technique I have seen is in a semi-shaded area in plantswoman Helen Dillon's garden. The trees were birch, not conifers (as more suited to the partial shade) but the rock mulch was small, 1-2" or so diameter river rock. A really stunning effect. Blown clear of leaves and other debris as necessary.