“Put a berm on it!”

Okay… so those of you that watch Portlandia are cracking up at the title, but those of you that don’t, why in the world not!?!?!?

We had this problem area of the yard where a pool used to be.  It was filled in prior to us purchasing our home, but the area continued to sink, especially after heavy rains.  In fact, after a heavy rain there would be dangerously large sink-holes.  With all the extra dirt dug up from the DG parking area, I realized this the perfect place for berms!  Finally a solution to this ongoing problem!  As the biggest problem area continues to sink, the dirt from the berm will just fall in.  This area is not going to sink that much more, but trying to keep the area flat is a losing battle.

It meant I had to scrap my idea of the fenced in veggie garden area, but when you get into a project I am learning that you have got to be flexible.  I came up with a design for two “berm fences” instead.  The berms surround my veggie garden area and I will plant them up with Texas native trees (not shade trees), grasses, and perennials.  They will provide the function I desired in the fence.  There are a lot of ugly things that happen in a veggie garden, and I wanted it to be a place all on its own where I don’t have to be diligent about rolling the hose up and putting things away all the time.   Above you can see the entrance to the veggie area. – I am going to do a rustic cedar stave arbour at the vegetable garden entrance.In this picture you can see how the spaces relate to one another.  We also put a water-line in with hose hook-up similar to what you see in a campground so I have a place to keep all my hoses and water easily.  I like the way the berms define the spaces.  We were lacking that BIGTIME in this yard…as we were terrain changes.  This yard was completely flat with a concave old sunken pool area.  I also like the way the berms make the beer garden area super private.  I think it will look pretty with lots of movement and color to look at while hanging out.  I got all the rocks for free…I still need to pick up more.  I did not want the dirt running onto the granite.  I left the front of the other berm more gradual and did not place rocks on its front.  I think I may even plant some frogfruit up it so the kids have a little hill to roll down.I got a little start planting, but I have a looooong way to go.  Now that the bones are in and the spaces are defined, let the fun begin!  I plan to take my time and I will likely do what I usually do and plant the bulk of everything in the fall when it is 50% off and a better time of year to plant in central Texas anyways.  I am also looking forward to playing with plants that need super good drainage, I finally have that!

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• Posted in: Back Garden - year 2
• Tagged: berm, berm fence, bermed in vegetable garden, berms for privacy, garden beer garden, garden berm, garden rooms, garden spaces, xeric, xeric garden, xericstyle