10 Best Small and Simple Flower Bed Ideas

Whether you're going for a vintage look or something modern, want to be unique or straightforward, these simple flower bed ideas are easy to create in any yard.

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piano
Lorena Dumitrascu/Shutterstock

Vintage Piano Flower Bed

One person’s trash is another’s treasure! Consider transforming a junkyard or estate sale piano into a repurposed garden container blooming with flowers. The flowers will cascade over onto the keyboard, for a dreamy look you’ll love. It’s a simple design to add to your collection of flower bed ideas.

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Sunburst Flower Bed Island

Designate a central patch on a large lawn for a simple yet gorgeous flower bed design. Pick several colors and types of flowers that will complement each other. The sunburst island design will serve as a magical focal point of your landscape, without requiring a ton of fuss! It’s one of the most creative yet simple flower bed ideas.

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stump
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Tree Stump Flower Bed

Being unique doesn’t have to be difficult! This flower bed design is easy to create, even for beginners. Tree stumps are a major pain to dig out and remove from your yard. Thankfully, they make beautiful, all-natural flower bed hosts, and can become a centerpiece in your yard!

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Cactus
Moolkum/Shutterstock

Succulents Flower Bed

Desert climates are perfect for planting succulents outdoors. You can have so much fun creating layers with different succulents among rocks, bricks, driftwood and more in a planting bed like this. While you can’t forget about them completely, succulents need very little attention, making them a worthy addition to your flower bed ideas if you want something very low maintenance.

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Family Handyman

Built-In Flower Beds Along Deck Bench

Whether you are renovating an existing deck or constructing a new one, consider building a deck with built-in planters. Making them blend in with the rest of the deck seating makes for a seamless look, with the stunning flowers looking like they’re simply growing out of the wood.

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barrel
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Flower Bed Barrel

If you like to use props to create a rustic look, consider this simple flower bed idea. An old barrel can be repurposed as a raised flower bed for vibrant flowers. Place among lawn-level garden bed edging to create dimension.

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table
Natalia Bratslavsky/Shutterstock

Cinder Block Flower Bed

If you have a small patio that you want to keep simple but make beautiful, this is a great flower bed idea. Simply try cornering and stacking a group of cinder blocks up against a wall and filling them with soil and flowers. Using cinder blocks for raised beds is very inexpensive. The raised beds will make a magical backdrop for your quaint space.

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petunias
Ozgur Coskun/Shutterstock

Pink and White Petunias Along a Stone Wall

Adorn a curved stone raised garden bed in your yard with budget-friendly and low maintenance pink and white petunias. They’re prolific bloomers that will last all summer long and are perfect for simple flower beds.

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wheelbarrow
Nok Lek/Shutterstock

Wooden Cart Flower Bed

Turn a new (or vintage) cart into a piece of art by transforming it into a flower bed. Overstuffed with herbs and colorful blooms, it’s the perfect accent piece to adorn your patio or porch.

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pool
7500jacks/Shutterstock

Poolside Flower Bed

An excellent way to add some earthy appeal to your pool is to incorporate flowers and plants around the pool. Plan out and plant flower beds around your pool incorporating different heights, colors and textures to add dimension.

Alexa Erickson
Alexa Erickson is an experienced lifestyle writer who has contributed to Family Handyman, Reader's Digest, Martha Stewart, Bob Vila and Thrillist. She’s written more than 50 articles for Family Handyman on a range of topics, including home design, DIY home improvement projects, and storage and organization. Additionally, she runs her own website, Living by Lex, where she writes about home decor, travel, tech and more.