Over the years designing gardens in Portland, I’ve seen raised brick planters become a staple in both modern and classic landscapes. Their structure, warmth, and durability make them a favorite for anyone craving a garden that’s as practical as it is beautiful.
Layer Up: Tiered Brick Planters for Dramatic Height
Stacking planters in multiple tiers—like garden steps—gives you more planting space and a dramatic backdrop for trailing plants. My first tiered brick bed was for a tiny sloped yard, and it instantly made the space feel grand and organized.
Essentials for this look:
- Stackable Brick Garden Edging Blocks: Build secure and elegant tiered planters in your yard—these blocks make layering easy and stable.
- Outdoor Landscape Fabric for Planters: Line your brick planters to improve drainage and prevent soil washout—great for multi-tier gardens.
- Quality Potting Mix for Flower Beds: Give your plants a healthy start with nutrient-rich potting mix designed for vibrant, beautiful flowers.
Build a Classic Rectangle for Maximum Versatility
My most requested design is the classic rectangular raised brick planter—timeless, clean-lined, and practical for everything from tomatoes to tulips. I’ve built dozens in front and backyards, always making sure the height is easy on the back and the length fits the space just right.
May just do the trick:
- Raised Garden Bed Soil Mix: Fill your classic brick planter with nutrient-rich soil mix for healthier, more productive vegetable and flower growth.
- Heavy Duty Gardening Gloves: Protect your hands while building and maintaining your raised brick planter with durable gardening gloves.
- Drip Irrigation Kit for Raised Beds: Install an efficient drip irrigation system to ensure even watering for all your plants with minimal effort.
Curved Brick Beds: Soften Your Edges
There’s something magical about a curved brick planter hugging a patio or winding through a lawn, softening the geometry of a yard. I once created a kidney-shaped bed for a client, and the way the morning light played across the bricks made it feel like a hidden oasis.
Explore these options:
- Landscape Edging Tools: Define precise curves for your brick planter with an edging tool designed for garden bed shapes.
- Soil for Raised Beds: Fill your curved brick bed with nutrient-rich soil, ideal for supporting vibrant flowers and grasses.
- Outdoor Decorative Flowering Plants: Brighten your planter with easy-care, outdoor flowers that thrive in raised garden beds all season.
Instant Curb Appeal: Frame Your Entryway
A pair of raised brick planters flanking a front walk can completely change how a home feels from the street. I’ve seen clients’ faces light up when they realize how much color and texture these planters add right at their doorstep.
Possibly handy products:
- Large Outdoor Planter Pots: Add instant beauty to your entryway by placing stylish planter pots on your raised brick columns.
- Decorative Solar-Powered Pathway Lights: Enhance safety and accentuate your walkway with easy-to-install solar-powered pathway lights.
- All-Weather Outdoor Flowering Plants: Select durable, low-maintenance plants for vivid color and lush texture right at your doorstep.
Sensory Delight: Textured Brick for a Tactile Experience
Running your hand over rough, reclaimed brick warmed by the sun, the scent of basil and thyme drifting upward—that’s a sensory moment I chase in my own garden. The subtle color variations and weathered texture of old bricks bring a richness that new materials just can’t mimic.
To help you get the job done:
- Reclaimed Brick Edging Stones: Add rustic appeal and unique tactile texture to your planter with reclaimed brick edging stones.
- Herb Garden Starter Kit: Grow fragrant herbs like basil and thyme to elevate the sensory experience of your brick planter.
- Natural Bristle Hand Brush for Brick Cleaning: Keep your textured brick planter looking fresh and tactile with a gentle natural bristle hand brush.
Go Tall: Double-High Planters for Easy Access
After watching my dad struggle to garden from a kneeling position, I started building tall raised brick planters—almost counter height—for easy tending. The extra height not only saves your back but also keeps ground critters at bay and makes harvesting a breeze.
Make it happen with these:
- Adjustable Garden Trellis Stakes: Support climbing vegetables easily and keep your tall raised brick planter organized with handy trellis stakes.
- Premium Raised Garden Bed Soil Mix: Fill your tall brick planter with nutrient-rich soil mix to encourage healthy and robust plant growth all season.
- Ergonomic Long-Handled Garden Tools: Tend your elevated beds comfortably using ergonomic long-handled tools designed for effortless digging and planting.
What Happens When You Mix Brick and Wood?
One of my favorite experiments was pairing brick sides with a wood cap for seating—clients love to perch with a coffee or basket of tomatoes. The warmth of wood softens the brick, and it’s a perfect place to pause and soak in the garden.
Something that could work:
- Weather-resistant wood sealer: Protect your wooden planter caps from moisture and sun with a quality outdoor wood sealer for lasting beauty.
- Garden bench cushion: Add extra comfort to your wooden planter edges by selecting a weatherproof seat cushion designed for outdoor benches.
- Herb and vegetable garden starter kit: Start your own raised garden easily by choosing a diverse herb and vegetable growing kit for planters.
Unexpected: Mosaic Brick Planters as Living Art
A client once asked if we could make her brick planter look like a patchwork quilt, so we used salvaged bricks in different colors and patterns—now, her planter is the art piece of her backyard. Mixing brick hues or laying them in creative mosaics is an unconventional twist that Pinterest users can’t scroll past.
Grab the essentials:
- Assorted Mosaic Tiles for Outdoor Crafts: Create lively patterns on your planter with a selection of colorful outdoor mosaic tiles designed for durability.
- Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive for Brick and Tile: Ensure your mosaic pieces stay in place with a strong, weather-resistant adhesive for brick and tile surfaces.
- Mortar Grout Applicator Kit: Make grouting clean and easy around intricate tile mosaics with a user-friendly applicator kit.
Client Spotlight: From Old Bricks to Edible Paradise
When the Wilsons inherited a pile of leftover bricks, we transformed them into a productive raised veggie bed—now, their kids harvest snap peas straight from the planter every morning. Repurposing materials isn’t just thrifty, it gives your garden a story to tell.
A few picks to consider:
- Raised garden bed liner: Keep your brick planter soil in top shape—use a liner to extend planter life and help drainage.
- Organic vegetable seed variety pack: Start your family’s edible paradise—choose easy-to-grow vegetable seeds perfect for raised beds and kids.
- Children’s gardening tool set: Let kids easily help in the garden—choose sturdy, child-sized tools made for little hands.
Can You Grow Citrus in a Brick Planter?
On a client’s sunny patio, we built an extra-deep raised brick planter just for a dwarf lemon tree—and it thrived thanks to the warmth radiating from the bricks. Sometimes the right microclimate is a matter of a few inches and a little masonry.
Might be a good match:
- Dwarf Citrus Tree Starter Kit: Grow your own citrus with a starter kit designed for patios and raised planters. Perfect for beginners.
- High-Quality Potting Soil for Citrus: Ensure healthy citrus growth by using a potting mix specially formulated for fruit trees in planters.
- Adjustable Drip Irrigation Kit: Keep your citrus tree thriving with consistent watering using an easy-to-install drip irrigation system.
Bold Move: Freestanding Brick Planters as Room Dividers
A freestanding raised brick planter can act as a natural room divider for patios or lawns, defining spaces without feeling closed in. I once used a double-sided brick bed to separate a dining area from a play zone—suddenly, everyone had their own garden view.
These products might help:
- Decorative tall ornamental grasses (live plants or seeds): Add instant height and privacy to your brick planter with easy-care ornamental grasses for lush division.
- Outdoor waterproof LED planter lights: Highlight your brick divider’s structure and transform evenings with energy-efficient outdoor planter lighting.
- All-weather rattan patio furniture set: Enhance your separated patio zones with stylish, durable patio chairs and tables for comfortable gatherings.
Lesson Learned: Leveling is Everything
I made the mistake once of skipping proper ground prep—my first brick planter shifted after the first big rain. Now, I never build a raised brick bed without carefully leveling the site and compacting the base—it’s the secret to longevity and crisp lines.
Check if these fit your needs:
- Heavy Duty Garden Spade or Shovel: Easily prepare your base with a reliable spade or shovel for a sturdy, level planter foundation.
- Manual or Electric Soil Compactor: Compact your base soil so your brick planter remains stable and looks crisp for years.
- Long Spirit Level for Outdoor Projects: Achieve level perfection using a long spirit level to ensure straight, even brickwork on your planters.
Modern Minimalism: Sleek Brick Planters in Monochrome
For a client with a taste for modern design, I sourced pale bricks and built a sleek, straight-edged planter—the single color and crisp corners made her succulents and silver-leafed plants pop. Sometimes, less really is more.
A few helpful options:
- Pale White or Light Gray Concrete Bricks: Choose high-quality monochrome bricks to create crisp, modern planter outlines and complement your architectural style.
- Premium Cactus and Succulent Potting Mix: Provide your succulents with ideal drainage and nutrients by using a specialized potting mix for healthy growth.
- Drought-Tolerant Succulent Assortment: Enhance your sleek planter with a curated set of easy-care succulents that love modern minimalist gardens.
Unconventional: Brick Planters with Built-in Lighting
We once embedded solar lights into the top row of a brick planter, making it glow softly at dusk—my clients now linger outside long after sunset. Integrating lighting into your raised beds is an unexpected upgrade that brings the garden to life at night.
These products might be useful:
- Outdoor LED Strip Lights (Weatherproof): Highlight your brick planters with weatherproof LED strip lights for a beautiful and practical evening glow.
- Solar Powered Deck Lights: Add easy, energy-saving ambiance to your raised beds with solar lights for subtle night-time illumination.
- Low Voltage Landscape Lighting Kits: Enhance safety and style by installing low voltage lighting kits along your brick planters’ upper edge.
How About a Brick Planter for Your Outdoor Kitchen?
I’m a huge fan of building raised brick herb planters right next to outdoor kitchens or grills—just snip what you need while cooking. The brick keeps things tidy and the herbs close at hand, which is a game changer for summer dinners.
Suitable options for this:
- Outdoor Herb Garden Starter Kit: Grow fresh herbs by your grill—add flavor to every meal with quick and easy outdoor access.
- Stainless Steel Garden Tool Set: Keep your raised planter tidy—handy tools make planting, pruning, and harvesting effortless and neat.
- Self-Watering Plant Stakes: Ensure your herbs thrive—use self-watering stakes for consistent moisture, even during summer heat.
Unexpected: Build a Brick Planter Bench
For a small courtyard, I designed a raised brick planter that doubles as a bench—the top ledge is wide enough to sit on, surrounded by lavender and trailing strawberries. It’s a spot where friends gather, and the plants are always within reach.
You might like:
- Outdoor Waterproof Seat Cushion for Benches: Add comfort to your brick planter bench with a durable, weatherproof seat cushion for relaxing outdoors.
- Herb and Lavender Seed Starter Kit: Grow your own lavender and culinary herbs right in the planter for fragrance and fresh flavors anytime.
- Self-Watering Planter Inserts: Keep your trailing strawberries and flowers thriving with easy-to-install self-watering inserts for planters.
Stacked Planters: Create a Brick Planter Wall
One of the most dramatic transformations I’ve done was turning a bland yard wall into a multi-level brick planter wall—each tier overflowing with cascading blooms and lush greens. It’s not just a planter, it’s a living mural that changes with the seasons.
Some handy options:
- Rectangular Plastic Planter Boxes: Maximize planting space with durable rectangular planters to fit perfectly on your brick wall tiers.
- Heavy-Duty Wall Planter Brackets: Secure your planters safely and stylishly with robust wall brackets for a tidy, lush display.
- Outdoor Self-Watering Planter Inserts: Reduce watering chores and keep your blooms healthy by using convenient self-watering planter inserts.
Bold Claim: Raised Brick Planters Last a Lifetime
Once, a client asked how long her brick planters would last—I told her, with proper care, probably longer than the house itself. Brick stands up to the Pacific Northwest rain and looks better every year, making it a true legacy feature for any garden.
These may be of interest:
- Classic Outdoor Garden Urn Planter: Enhance your raised brick planter with a timeless garden urn. Add elegant style to your outdoor space.
- Moss and Algae Remover for Brick: Keep your brick planters looking spotless—use this cleaner to gently remove moss and algae buildup.
- Weatherproof Outdoor LED Pathway Lights: Illuminate your beautiful brick planters and garden walkways with durable, weatherproof outdoor LED lights.
