A Berm Can Add A Nice Touch To A Landscape Area

What is a berm? It is a natural or man made elevated strip of land in a yard. It is different from a bank or slope as it can be anywhere from two to five six wide and the length will vary. The top is level and a great solution for planting a variety of trees, shrubs or flowers. Many of my clients have natural berms on their property due to the fact we live in the foothills of the mountains. Some people have also decided that this would be a nice added outdoor feature, and make their own. This landscape project is simple to create from scratch or develop from an existing area. I have designed and landscaped an entire backyard. I thought it might be useful for you to get some suggestions on what to do in a natural berm area. Take a look at the two pictures below. This is of the same house.

View Of Left Side	View Across

As you can see there is some prep work to be done. The berm is located right in front of the existing trees. The first step is to remove the grass and any weeds from the area. Apply a grass and weed killer and wait one week for it to take effect. I recommend waiting that amount of time so the chemicals have a chance to completely work. In this particular job, a tiller can be use to work the ground. Keep in mind not to try and level the area. You can plant across the entire landing and also on the incline. Rake the area and remove any remaining debris. Both slope and berm planting with evergreens have similar preparation techniques as well as choices in plant specimens. When planting across the landing, think about what is your goal? Do you want privacy or are you looking for a unique and special garden look? Behind the clients property is a view of the mountains. They wanted some privacy, but also wanted to see the view. For height, one of my thoughts were using a few Emerald Green Arborvitaes along with some False Cypress.

Emerald Green Arborvitae	False Cypress

Both of these plant specimens will provide great privacy. They can be placed across the landing but not in the view of the mountains. Another couple of plants to incorporate around the trees are Ruby Chinese Pizazz or Loropetalum, and some ornamental grass such as black fountain.

Ruby Chinese Pizzazz	Black Fountain Grass

The Loropetalum and Ornamental Grass balances out the landing and also allows the clients their view. There are a variety of other plants that will work great along the landing. The incline area can be planted with small junipers, perennials, mop cypress, and other smaller shrubs. I have seen the entire inclines planted in gorgeous colorful annuals and perennials. I like to see a few evergreens within these flowers to avoid dead spaces in the winter. Below are a couple of different ideas for this project.

Flowers And Bench	Variety of Plants

Many people love the idea of a bench on the landing. A possible addition would be putting a trellis behind the bench with a climbing vine. Creating an area with of variety of different plant specimens will give you different color and texture all year long.