Start the new year off right by making your landscape a priority this coming year. Pick the areas of your yard that you would like to concentrate on, whether it is the front or back yard, patio or pool area, lakefront or street view. Some particular needs you may want to focus on include privacy screening, natural areas, accent plantings, foundation plantings or adding berms to create interest and improve drainage.

Adding raised berms can give needed interest to your landscaping. Berms do not need to be very high to be effective. Depending on the area, raise the dirt berms from one to three feet in height. Good areas to add berms are at the corner of the driveway and sidewalk, at the driveway and street, off the corner of the house, along the property lines, and in the middle of the yard to break up a flat area. Berms are also helpful in redirecting the flow of water runoff. Using the right type of plant materials on berms will add great interest in your landscape. On larger berms, trees make a great anchor plant, choose either shade or flowering trees for this. Once the trees have been installed, add plants, which will compliment the trees. There are many different types of plant materials to choose from that will work well in berm plantings. Think seriously about adding berm plantings into your landscaping. You will be happy you did.

If you are unsure about how to incorporate berms in your landscape, take a picture of the area where you would like to add the berm. Bring the photo by the garden center and let one of the nursery professionals advise you about where to place the berm and suggest plant materials that would best suit the area. You may want to consider having our landscape designer come to your home and suggest where a berm would compliment your existing landscape or have a custom landscape plan drawn for your property incorporating berms to create interest.

Happy gardening.