Hi Kris,
I'm not sure what height or how formal of a garden you are looking for, but I have a raised bed along the northwest side of my garage in dappled shade. I planted Lady Ferns, white, pink, and purple, Hespirus, and perenniel bachelors buttons in the back, and hostas and dwarf phlox in the front. In sring it is the focal point of the yard, and it's easy to care for. In early summer, I just add a few impatiens and a hanging basket of fushia for color.
Colleen

Hi, Kris,
You are going to love gardening in raised beds! They warm up and dry out fast in the spring. I can't think of anything that I haven't grown in them ... peonies, daylilies, iris, heucheras, hosta, etc. Almost any annual ... plus I've used them for holding beds for shrubs and trees.
Linda

Thanks Colleen and Linda. I've tried some of the plants you've mentioned with varying degrees of success. In the two years I've been working with the raised beds, I've found that the majority of my plants haven't thrived and/or didn't survive the winter. I understand the raised bed gardens need more water than in ground flowerbeds and have been religious in my watering (1-2 inches twice a week). Also have mulched thoroughly. Are there techniques specific to raised beds that might make my plants thrive? I'm a 30 year gardener, but find myself stumped...as even hosta and ferns have not thrived in the beds.

Hi Kris,
The raised beds I have need soil ammendments. we used a good loam when we built the beds, and ammend them every fall with leaves, compost, decomposed manure, and lime every few years. The mulch I use is usually two to three inches of decomposed leaves or hay. This also adds alot to the soil and I find I don't need to water as much. Mine take some time in either sring or fall to turn over, or rake in what we've added, but in summer other than watering, they are pretty self sufficient. Hope this helps.
Colleen

Collen - when you add the amendments - how do you deal with the existing perennials? do you lift them? replant them? last year I had difficulty adding amendments without covering too much of the plant.

Kris, if I need to add lime, I'll remove the mulch in fall, rake in the lime and reapply the mulch for winter. I usually divide my perennials in spring, so I'm in the beds digging anyway, I rake off the mulch so the sun can warm the beds and give the plants a good head start, then divide anything that needs to be divided, add compost and manure. If a plant isn't doing well, I'll lift it and replant. If it seems to be happy, I just sprinkle the ammendments around it, and rake it into the first few inches of soil. Usually by the middle to end of June, I'll reapply partially composted leaves or hay to save on watering and weeding. They will continue to decompose through the growing season and add nutrients to the bed. About every three or four years I completely pull everything out of the beds, either till, or turn the soil over, and replant. This gets rid of any tree roots that have tried to take over the bed from underneath.
Colleen

How about a few Knock Out Rose bushes? Maybe the Double Knock Out that are out now. Roses generally like raised beds and will certainly love the full sun!

Sandy

thanks all for the helpful comments - I'm now waiting for the snow to stop falling so I can get into the beds to add the amendments. Your descriptions on how to do this without disturbing happy perennials was helpful.

I've got some Knockout roses in the sunny raised beds and they are indeed a great addition - blooming right up to the first frost!