This is your spring dose of garden ideas courtesy of our wonderful customers and their gorgeous gardens. So if shows like Your Garden Made Perfect has given you inspiration to tackle your garden terrace, boost your borders or pep up your plot then you have come to the right place. These ideas are sure to provide some helpful inspiration for your next project.

Add curves

The majority of our gardens are linear shapes, adding curves and organic shapes can really transform a space and make it feel bigger, use a curved wall to border a pathway, or curve the edges or a wall or raised bed to soften. We recommend using our Free Design Service for curved structures, our experienced team can use your measurements and ideas to create the perfect solution for your space, and more importantly, do all of the calculations!

Go bold

Adding a touch of extra colour to the garden can make a big difference. All of raised beds, retaining walls, seats and ponds can be painted with a good quality exterior wood paint. Last year many of our customers opted for different shades of grey, will grey be the go to colour for 2021? Lets wait and see!

Create a focal point

Some of the best garden design ideas feature a central space that draws the eye to., however, most popular place for planting is the edges of the garden. Raised beds make it easy to add a pop of colour and interest to different areas, breaking up open spaces. Our raised beds can be built on any surface which makes adding one to a lawn or patio quick and fuss free. Go for show-stopping shapes like circles or octagons or stand alone square or rectangular raised beds.

Zone your plot

Creating different zones in the garden can make a small garden feel bigger and a large garden feel more intimate. Mix up your space with L-shaped raised beds, slim planters, ponds or use our Free Bespoke Design Service to create something totally unique to your garden.

Mix up materials

Mixing up your garden with a combination of materials that complement each other will add texture and additional colour. We love use of natural wood, stone and brick in the garden. Our customers have successfully switched up our seating by adding natural stone paving to seating and it looks fantastic! 

Building joy

All of our structures are built in the same way, there's no waste, nor mess. You don't need any technical skills to build them, plus every kit comes with step-by-step instructions to guide you through every part of your build. To find out more about how to build a WoodBlocX structure click here or watch our videos over on YouTube.

We have made getting inspiration and costs for your next raised bed, pond or retaining wall project quick and easy.

Whether you know exactly what you want and just need to add your measurements or you need some help, guidance or inspiration, we have got you covered with our calculator tools and free bespoke design service.

Building with WoodBlocX is a little like building with Lego. Our kits contain everything you need to build your structure and a set of step by step instructions to guide you every step of the way. You can find out more about how to build and the benefits of using WoodBlocX here.

Raised bed inspiration

If you need inspiration for your next raised bed project you have come to the right place. Whether you're looking to grow edibles or flowers our wooden raised beds are ideal. The modular nature of our system means that we can create almost any shape from traditional rectangle and square planters to bespoke designs that feature curves and angles.

Pond inspiration

Whether you're keen to encourage more wildlife into your garden, would like to keep fish or want to create the ultimate zen garden, our kits are popular choices for ponds. Choose from single and double skin options.

Retaining wall inspiration

Landscape your garden with beautiful WoodBlocX walls. Our structures make a great alternative to railway sleeper and brick walls. They can retain earth up to 1.05m, there are no substantial groundworks needed and you can build them yourself and make significant savings on labour costs. Click here to find more about the benefits of using WoodBlocX for your next retaining wall project.

Our Free Bespoke Design Service

Create beautiful combinations of our structures that fit your garden and lifestyle perfectly, from raised beds with seating to multi-functional retaining walls and much more. We can help you bring your vision to life, suggesting solutions to make the most of the space you have available to create your dream garden. No fuss, no hassle, just great service from start to finish.

Designing an entire garden or even just a certain area can be a daunting prospect which is why we have made our free design service as quick and simple as possible, in just three simple steps.

Whether you’re a new homeowner, the owner of a new build home with a fresh plot to put your stamp on, or have an established garden that needs a new lease of life, our modular system can help you transform it into a beautiful and functional space.

In 2020 nearly a quarter of our customers used our bespoke design service for raised beds, planters, ponds, walls, steps, and seating to fit their garden space and lifestyles perfectly.

Get a design for your garden in three steps

Step one

Send us a sketch, some sizes of the space you're looking to update along with any ideas you have. Use our inspiration page or our social media to see what other customers have achieved using our versatile system. You could also send photos, screen-grabs from garden design apps or even a link to your pinterest board.

Step two

We will be back in touch with you within 48 hours with any questions. Once we have all of the information we will work on your design, this will be presented in a design pack which includes a 3D model of your structure along with the price.

Step three

Once we have discussed and made any changes to your design, we then add it to our website and send you a link. This allows you to select a preferred delivery date and make your payment. Alternatively this can be done over the phone.

Recent bespoke designs

Top garden design considerations

• Note down the areas that get sunlight at certain times of the day, this is important if you want to include a seating area of if you plan on growing certain types of sun nor shade loving plants or you plan to grow edibles
• Are you overlooked by other properties and do you have any views you would like to maximise?
• Think about what you would like to grow and how much you are able to realistically manage
• What elements you would like to include; grass/lawns, seating, walls, beds and borders, water features, paths, patios, steps etc?
• Do you want to encourage wildlife into the garden?
• What style do you want to achieve? Modern, rustic etc
• Use a garden design planning app such as Veg Plotter to sketch out your ideas

Free design service review

"Whatever you ask these guys to do, the answer is always yes and then they suggest more great ideas you hadn't even thought of. One of the best companies I have ever dealt with."

Click to read more reviews on our Free Design Service

If you have a project in mind or you’re just not sure of exactly what you need for your garden click here to start using our free design service 

We’re best-known for our rectangular raised beds, they're functional, attractive, durable, long lasting and easy to build.

The modular nature of our timber raised bed system means that switching up to circular, hexagonal or octagonal raised beds is really easy…this is not something that can be done easily with railway sleepers or wooden boards.

WoodBlocX raised beds are perfect for growing edibles, ornamentals and trees, and thanks to our water-based pressure treatment, they are suitable for organic growing and will last 15 years or more.

Rectangular raised beds

Raised beds date back to medieval times and rectangle and square shape have been a firm favourite of gardeners and growers ever since. You can find a huge selection of sizes and heights from narrow raised beds of varying lengths to wide planters in our pre-designed kits. We’ve also mixed it up to include raised beds with different height compartments too which you can also see here.

We offer a free design service to all customers, so if you have something specific in mind or can't find exactly what you need on the website, we can help.

Circles

Circular and curved raised beds, planters and edges are created using our standard WoodBlocX timber components cut at 7.5 degree angles. Circular raised beds make the perfect centrepiece for the garden and are ideal for a statement tree planted in the centre.

Use our raised bed calculator tool to get an instant price for a circular raised bed using your own measurements.

Curves

Using the same angled blocks as our circular raised beds you can use our timber system to add curves to the garden. If you haven’t got room for a centrepeice but still want to add a curve opt for a half circle-shaped raised bed with a straight edge that buts up to a wall. There's loads of ideas for angled raised beds here.

Did you know you that you can use WoodBlocX to build retaining walls that are either, straight, curved or angled? Click here to find out more.

Angles

Lots of unusual shapes can be built using obtuse and acute 45 degree angle components which means we can also provide corner raised beds in various shapes including diamond, hexagonal, curves, octagonal and heart shaped raised beds. We can even add layers to these designs for anyone that wants to incorporate different levels of planting.

Our raised beds can be adapted to create larger continuous structures for the garden that can include all or a combination of retaining walls, steps and seating.

L-shapes

L-shaped raised beds are a great solution for untidy and uninspiring conrers of the garden but they needn’t be limited to just corners, L-shaped structures can add a creative touch in a freestanding area either individually or as part of an interesting layout of WoodBlocX raised beds.

All of our structures can be used for organic growing thanks to our water-based treatment.

Stepped

Stepped raised beds can be used for both flat and sloped gardens. Use them to add height and interest to a patio area, or to add different sections for planting or use them to landscape a sloping garden.

Lots of our customers opt to add steps to run alongside the raised beds that are used to landscape the garden to tie everything together.

Bespoke raised beds

The design flexibility that the WoodBlocX raised bed system offers means that we can create 1000s of different design combinations. We offer a free bespoke design service to all customers so you can get exactly what you need for your garden.

Use our super quick calculator tool on the website, select the shape and use the drop down menus to select the length, width and height to suit you.

Small gardens can be tricky spaces to work with and there are lots of raised beds and containers available that have been designed specifically for smaller gardens, however most are either made from plastic, poor quality materials or come highly treated with chemical preservatives.

Our raised beds and planters are long-lasting, each is guaranteed for 15 years thanks to the high quality wood we use and our water-based preservative which won't leach harmful chemicals into your soil, the structures easy to build, look fantastic and are ideal for gardens of all shapes and sizes, even the smallest of plots. Take a look at how some of our customers have used our modular timber system to transform their gardens.

Multifunctional

Tall planting

Get creative with the space you have available and think about ways you can incorporate different elements into the space. This bench is nestled within a raised bed providing a space to grow plants and herbs and place to sit and relax without taking up too much room. This design could also be adapted to include a small pond, or if your plot is on a hill switch the bench for steps.

Tall planters create the illusion of space, due to their height they free up floor space. Plus if you keep with width to a minimum, like the example above, you can still add colour and interest to small space, plus planting, weeding and watering is super simple thanks to the accessible height. WoodBlocX structures can be painted too if your plot is in need of a splash of colour.

Corners

Small section

Our modular system can help you to make the most of corners, choose from standard single-height raised beds or add some tiers and cascading plants to really add some interest to your garden. Corner raised beds take up less space too. Equally, if you small garden is angular use our free bespoke design service to get a shape that suits to the space perfectly.

By taking a small section of space from one side of the garden can really make a difference and won't impact too much on the entire space you have available. Installing a raised bed from one side of the garden to the other provides a large growing space without encroaching into rest of the garden, it makes a really nice feature too. Place your raised bed in front of a fence, wall or along the side of the house.

Our top three WoodBlocX planters for small gardens

A contemporary and stylish feature for your patio or decking, the Small Cubic Garden Planter is an ideal way to introduce a touch of nature into your living space. This smaller design is suitable to showcase a variety of small shrubs, heathers and even some hostas who enjoy more shaded areas.

With its modest design the Slender Garden Planter is ideal for more narrow spaces or fence lines and provides a sleek foundation for a trellis feature for climbing plants.

Unlike a square or rectangular shaped planter the Hexagonal Garden Planter offers a modern alternative design that can feature as a centrepiece in your garden. This multi-sided design can also prove as an effective shape to fit into less conventional shaped garden spaces.

Free bespoke design service

Use our free bespoke design service to ensure your raised bed fits the space perfectly, we can also take into account any slopes. Just send us your measurements and we'll do the calculations for you, to find out more about the service click here.

New build gardens are often small and uninspiring, this garden design case study is full of ideas for transforming a blank canvas into something beautiful. Simon and his partner had lots of ideas for transforming their small new build garden. Their story is filled with ideas for small gardens and large ones.

Tell us briefly how the garden was before you began updating it...
As with most new builds, the house builder provided us with topsoil and slabs, nothing more. Our garden also had a gradient, sloping away from the house, which made the space mostly unusable.

What ideas did you have for transforming your small garden?
We wanted to create the ideal space for entertaining friends and family and give it a sense of purpose. We’re also keen gardeners, but sadly we don’t have much free time. With this in mind, we also wanted to create space for plants that would be easy to maintain.

How did you hear about WoodBlocX?
When we decided that we needed to level off the garden we started searching online for retaining walls. A few clicks later and we arrived at the WoodBlocX website.

Did you look into any alternative materials for the walls and seating?
We considered using reclaimed railway/timber sleepers but quickly decided it wasn’t an option worth pursuing. Using sleepers would have not only cost more due to the waste, but the effort that comes with having to lift, cut and attach them together was also off putting.

How did you find working with the team and using the free bespoke design service?
Incredible. We worked with Lachlan who was extremely helpful (and patient!) as we refined our design multiple times to make it perfect. When you’re in our garden you can immediately feel that the design is unique and has been designed to fit and maximise the space.

The garden before....

The garden after...

Tell us about the different elements of your new garden

Our garden is now split into two levels. The first level has a slate floor covering and is supported by two WoodBlocX retaining walls. We also worked an inset seating area into one of the walls maximise the space and provide a place to put the shopping down when you walk through the back gate.

We then have a semi-circular set of WoodBlocX steps that take you down to the lower level of the garden. As our neighbour’s land is around 50cm higher than ours we have a retaining wall that supports their garden along the fence - this also provides us with a perfect raised bed for growing trailing plants along the fence (currently Sweet Peas). Moving further down the garden we needed to continue the retaining wall, but we wanted to ensure there was still space for seating. The space at the bottom of our garden appeared as an obvious place for a cosy seating area, but to do this while also needing a retaining wall was a challenge. During the design process we worked with Lachlan to create the perfect shaped benches that would also act as retaining walls. This has saved us space and money as we now have permanent seating that, unlike other garden furniture, doesn’t need to be stored away during water in a shed that takes up space!

Our designer Lachlan says...

“Simon’s garden was a great project to work on and a great customer to work with. We had to go through a few iterations of the design, but this is all part of the design process. We always ensure that our customers receive exactly what they need for their project regardless of what it is they want to achieve. For an intricate full garden redesign like this one, it was paramount that we focussed on the details to squeeze the most out of the space and budget, whilst fulfilling the original brief.”

If you're ready to start transforming your garden or to find out more about our free bespoke design service click here. Or if you're unsure where to start with your new build garden the RHS has a great guide covering soil, planting and privacy, which you can find here.

More ideas for small gardens using WoodBlocX

It can be tricky to get creative with standard garden furniture, whilst there are lots of different types and materials available most stick to standard designs, our garden furniture, on the other hand, can be anything you like! We can create bespoke designs that fit your garden perfectly and you don’t need to worry about annual maintenance, covering or storing it away over winter.

Our modular timber system gives you design flexibility to either fit seating perfectly into a space, create standalone structures, or incorporate planters, ponds, walls and steps and transform your garden.

Ideas for small gardens

Standard, Narrow or Wide Bench
Choose from standard, narrow or wide, place in front of walls, on the patio or in a quiet spot under a tree.

Corner Planter Bench
Maximise space by making use of corners to bring seating and planting to small spaces.

Ideas for large gardens

Long Planter with Bookends
This is a truly multifunctional bench with lots of space to seat up to four people and planters either side to bring some colour and fragrance.

Four Sided Planter Seat with Central Bed
Create a seating centre-piece to enjoy different areas of the garden, place on a large lawn or patio, plant flowers, herbs or even a miniature tree in the planter.

Garden makeovers

Gardens large and small can include bespoke garden furniture designs, in fact, most of our customers take this option, that way it can be designed to fit perfectly in garden, plus other elements can also be added such as walls, steps and space for planting. We offer a free design service to ensure our customers get exactly what they need for their garden. Click here to find out more.

Easy to build

Our wooden BlocX and dowel system is totally unique, it means there’s no cutting or sawing, no nails, screws and no waste, simply follow the instructions provided to build your structure. We have also recently introduced a removable dowel so if you make a mistake just unscrew it and start again. This feature is also fantastic if you’re moving house and don’t want to leave your beloved WoodBlocX raised bed, planter or pond behind! To see how easy WoodBlocX is to build watch this quick video.

Maintenance and materials

WoodBlocX are made from pressure-treated, British, wood and are guaranteed to last for at least 15 years without rotting or distorting. All you need to do is install your design following our customised guidelines and you can be sure your seat is safe, sturdy and durable.

The wood will age naturally to a soft grey, or they can be painted any colour you like. To find out more about the ageing process click here.

To find out more about our wooden garden furniture seating, benches and chairs click here

Our modular system is ideal for building raised beds, planters, garden furniture, walls and steps and it can be used for a few other garden essentials including edging and kerbing and decking, shed and greenhouse bases too.

The versatility of WoodBlocX means that all structures can be designed so that they are completely bespoke to your garden, whether it is completely flat or sloped, plus you can build them on soft surfaces including earth and grass or hard surfaces such as concrete, tarmac or paving.

Edging, borders and kerbing

Keep flower beds and borders from spilling onto pathways, protect vegetable patches and create beautiful pathways in front and rear gardens using our timber edging, kerbing and border options.

There are lots of different edging options available on the market; plastic, metal, railway sleepers, wooden boards, brick and other manufactured stone, each has its benefits but WoodBlocX Garden Edging can really help your garden to take shape.

Just like our other garden structures our edging, borders and kerbing is quick and easy to build, long lasting and requires no heavy lifting, its practical and attractive, the unique modular design means you can follow the contours of your garden, making it one of the best alternatives to railways sleepers available.

Browse our timber edging, borders and kerbing options here or input your own measurements using the quick calculator tool.

Decking, shed and greenhouse bases

WoodBlocX can be used to create a firm and level base for garden structures such as sheds, greenhouses and decking to sit on. The strong pressure treated blocks are made using the strongest part of the tree and are design to stand up to excessive weight and strain, so much so that it can be used for retaining walls, making them an ideal base material for large garden structures.

Decking, shed and greenhouse bases built in shady areas can be affected by damp and algae growth therefore it is best to select a position in the garden that is dry and gets a good amount of sunlight.

Working out the size of the base can be tricky especially if the area is sloped or has uneven ground, if you’re unsure or just need some help working everything out get in touch and our team will work with you to create a design that fits your garden and decking, greenhouse or shed perfectly.

To find out more about WoodBlocX kerbing, border and edging options click HERE or for bespoke bases for decking, greenhouses and sheds click HERE.

All of the best things get better with age, wine, whisky, cheese, gardens and WoodBlocX! A key characteristic of our timber raised beds, planters, retaining walls, steps, ponds and garden furniture is that the wood fades to a beautiful silver/grey colour over time.

The fading doesn’t affect the quality of the wood, your WoodBlocX timber raised bed will last up to 15 years without any annual maintenance. To ensure our customers get the best lifetime out of their WoodBlocX garden structure we only use slow-grown sustainable Scots pine, not from the heart of the tree which tends to be weaker, all of our wood is locally sourced and rough-sawn to give it a beautiful natural texture. We then pressure treat it using a water based preservative which penetrates almost 100% of the wood and means our products are ideal for organic gardeners or anyone who prefers to steer clear of chemical-based products.

Colour changes

Here are some examples of the ageing process of our raised beds. One of our customers installed their original L-shaped planter more than eight years ago and ordered a brand new large raised bed and multi-tiered corner raised bed to border the garden.

There is no annual treatment needed but if you would like to add a splash of colour to the garden all of our structures can be painted with a quality outdoor paint.

Our timber raised beds and planters make a fantastic chemical-free, strong, long-lasting and attractive alternative to railway sleepers and wooden boards for raised planting in the garden, our unique modular system can also be used for ponds, steps, retaining walls and seating.

Browse our pre-designed kits, add your preferred measurements to our time-saving calculators or get in touch with our team to get a free design for your garden.

Rob Smith knows a thing or two about gardening, he won the 2015 BBC Big Allotment Challenge, is a regular writer for popular magazines; Kitchen Garden and Garden News, he is also a seed guardian for the Heritage Seed Library and has a range of grafted vegetables and cut flowers, its safe to say he’s a busy man!

Rob has recently installed two WoodBlocX natural wood raised beds in his kitchen garden that will be used for very different purposes. His garden is sloped and he has his work cut out with the soil, as it is mainly clay and rock, so to successfully grow anything he needs to raise the level of planting and add new soil, making raised beds are the perfect solution.

“Most of my raised beds are made from corrugated metal, so I plumped for a couple for wooden raised beds to break things up, plus they’re slightly deeper, allowing me to grow a wide variety of edibles.

"I wanted to make sure that any wooden planter I used was free from chemicals, after all I’ll be eating the plants I grow in them and don’t want anything leaching into the soil. I went for a WoodBlocX raised bed as no chemicals are used in their construction and they're easy to put together, just like giant building blocks.”

Rob Smith

Circular raised bed

Admittedly the circular bed is a little trickier to build than our other raised bed designs, due to its curves and the angles, but the challenge nor the rain on the day caused any set backs.

Rob selected the circular planter design specifically to install a flowering crab apple tree, which will help to pollinate the other eating and cooking apple varieties he grows, making it a great addition to the garden.

Since building the circular bed and planting the crab apple tree (the variety is ‘red sentinel’) the base has been planted with box hedging to divide the space into four where flowering plants that attract bees and butterflies will be added.

Rectangular raised bed

Lots of our customers buy our rectangular raised beds for growing edibles as the height makes planting, watering, weeding and harvesting much easier. Rob is utilising his to grow varieties of perennial vegetables, which are ideal for busy gardeners, as they will look after themselves all year round with a just little watering and mulching.

Rob’ top perennial veg varieties include:

• Turkish rocket
• Bath asparagus
• Perennial kale
• Sea kale
• Earth chestnut

To keep up to date with the progress of Rob’s perennial veg and to see how well his crab apple tree pollinates his apple trees over the summer follow him on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

Shop our circular and rectangular raised beds here, if you can’t find what you’re looking for get in touch and use our free design service.