By having depth of bed I don't mean to imply that one must plant and maintain it with a "jungly" appearance. It's just that any shrubs one might plant along the foundation are bound to easily eat up 4' of depth, even when maintained to modest proportions. Then, one would probably have something low -- perennial or groundcover -- growing in front of the shrub and it, too, could easily take up an equivalent amount of depth. start adding up the numbers and it becomes apparent that 4' seems stingy. Of course, if one plans only on a single row of shrubs, then 4' is workable. (But this seems like a less pretty solution than shrubs plus groundcover, perennial or some such thing.) It is not depth of bed that makes a difference between a "clean" look and a disheveled one. If you want a raised bed merely because you want it, then no more need be said. I get the impression you will, at least, do its construction justice. "... it would probably be better to let nature cover like it's going to try to do no matter what I put there." I'm certainly not suggesting that you allow weeds to take over. That is the death knell to any landscape. There are attractive groundcovers and perennials that can be maintained in a weed-free state for a clean, attractive and interesting appearance. Keeping the design simple leads toward a "cleaner" look. If there were weeds in the area previously, it requires diligence in maintenance until the ground-covering plants become fully established (then they become the "mulch.") In most cases, one mulches fairly heavily at the beginning, which helps keep weeds down. Pre-emergent herbicide can be very useful, too, but follow directions carefully, as you wouldn't want to also kill plants you bought and installed. One must put out the most anti-weed effort during the first year. (The main objective is NEVER let a weed flower and produce seed within the bed area -- which some will try to do within twenty-something days after sprouting by seed --as it will prolong the weeding process by another year, at least.) If one keeps up with it right along, weeding is less trouble the second year and after that, minor to nearly non-existent. What plants you use to cover the ground of the planting bed would depend on where you live and what grows well there, and what the design requirements are calling for in terms of height, interest and personality.

I appreciate all of your feedback. So far I am still having work done with this contractor as per our contract. Everything is moving along well and there are no further conflicts thus far. However, after the unpleasant discussion regarding the kitchen designer and her never-agreed-upon-fee, the contractor expressed his plans to "remove $500 - $1200 from my kitchen allowance". I did not agree to any amount and though HE received her technical drawings I never did (except for the pictures and discussions regarding the possibilities). Turns out the kitchen layout I decided upon with the new kitchen person is similar to her design but not exactly the same... therefore I would like to compensate her in SOME way but not to the tune of $500 - $1200 as insisted by the contractor! You all have helped me to develop some backbone. I would like to be fair...I just haven't decided what fair equates to in dollars. Further discussion with the contractor regarding this topic has died down. The son, who is the project manager, has made some comments here and there about how they have to "change the way they do business by informing homeowners of the retainer fees of their vendors" and I should know "no one works for free", and that it was unfair that the person they recommended (according to him) "had her designs stolen". I believe the subject will rear its ugly head once again during the final payout. My husband feels we do not owe the designer a dime and the designer should have told us about her fee. I asked my present kitchen designer his opinion. He said he would gladly sit with a client, discuss what the possibilities could be, show them a few layouts, but once they get to technical drawings he presents them with a $500 retainer contract. Of course he doesnt release any technical drawings without the retainer. In my case, the technical drawings went to the contractor...not to me. My present designer said this is truly between the contractor and his designer. I have other "allowances" for flooring, granite and tile with my contractor. Of course the contractor has made recommendations of places to purchase these items however I am free to go to any place of my choosing. At this point I am hesitant to choose any of HIS recommended places because I am concerned that the materials I choose will (at this point) deliberately exceed my allowances. I just have a feeling, one way or another, he is going to somehow try to squeeze the kitchen designer fee out of me. It's not based on fact, its just based on a feeling. Therefore I believe I am going to purchase my materials elsewhere or at least do some comparison shopping. Any further thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thank you Melanie

You can work off the photo, but -- as always -- it needs to be converted into a PLAN first ... a plan being, more or less, a map of your yard. It allows you to place the plants in the right place. Just draw the components of the yard -- house, walk, drive, trees, lamp post, etc on a piece of graph or plain paper, measuring everything out in order to keep it in relative scale. 1"=10' is a good scale to work with. You could also use 1/8"=1' or 1/4"=1', though the latter might require a fairly large piece of paper. After you get the base information down, you can start drawing where plants would go. Do this on copies of the original or use tracing paper in order to avoid lots of erasing. One tip: don't draw individual plants unless they are standalone specimens ... like a tree or shrub that stands alone. First draw the bed, then draw the shapes that the plant collections occupy within the bed. If you have a survey, you can begin with that as the basis of the drawing as it will show the location of the major constructed elements. As I mentioned previously, you can clutter up the simple scheme I gave you as much as you like, but keep in mind that when you do, the end result will look cluttered, and require more maintenance to keep up with. The scheme I offered accomplishes your basic goals, but allows you a great deal of control of its ultimate "flavor" through the selection of plant materials. You have options for tweaking bed shape and other details, and adding some "punctuation" (those special plants that excite you and you can find a good spot for.)

Or even try googling "big planters with shrubs" or "big planters with perennials." At least you could get some ideas of what look you like, then try to find plants that fit the bill. Nothing wrong with skip laurels, IMHO, if that's what you like. I'd try to find a plant that naturally stays the size I want without pruning. But I hate pruning. I love the magic carpet spirea for hedges, but not evergreen. But a lot of the season they have something interesting going on. I've also had good luck with dwarf varieties of arborvitae staying relatively small.