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Raised Landscape
Planting Beds and Berms
When to Add Beds and Berms
Adding raised beds is the answer for landscaping homes with large tree and shrub groups. Landscape beds add interest to a flat site and improve drainage for better health of trees than in a turfgrass lawn with frequent watering.
In areas of poor soil, raised beds filled with improved topsoil can provide an excellent base for plants that might otherwise be difficult or impossible to grow.
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Traditional raised beds use stones, bricks, planking, or other hardscape materials built around them to hold the bed’s soil in place. Choose your materials to complement the style of your home. Is your preference formal and geometric in shape, or more loosely configured.
Berms use compacted soil to slope down to ground level. Berms are excellent for contouring a garden, and they have a very natural appearance.
How to Start
A simple way to lay out the shape of the bed is to use a flexible garden hose or rope. Move the hose or rope around until you have the size and shape exactly to your liking—whether round, sinuous, or rectangular. Once you’re satisfied, mark the outline with flour or stakes.
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In most cases additional soil will be needed to fill the bed. Using native soils is best unless they have significant problems with pH or drainage. Then, use amendments to improve native soil. As a last resort, bring in good topsoil.
Large trees and shrubs grow best in native soils because their roots expand more broadly than they do when they are planted in an area of improved soil.
If the planting bed will be raised 12 inches (30 cm) or more off the ground, work additives into the native soil to a depth of about 6 inches (15 cm). For lower beds, mix the new soil with your native soil to a depth of at least 12 inches (30 cm).
When building a raised bed, the best time to place an in-ground irrigation line is prior to or during construction. You will be glad you did—Keeping your plants watered becomes almost effortless.
Because an irrigation system makes watering so convenient, your plants are more likely to receive water when they need it [See: Installing Automatic Irrigation].
Landscape Features:
Beauty and Function
Each home’s landscape should have a main feature and secondary elements to complete its pleasing appearance. Use structural planters, flower beds, borders, and incorporate practical function, too.
Natural landscapes may include flowing watercourses, or simply dry swales. These wind artistically through plantings, valuable for directing water away from structures and activity areas during downpours.
Use the full spectrum of features to unify and accessorize your trees, shrubs, perennials, and other permanent plantings.
Plan Ahead for In-Ground Irrigation and Lighting
Consider future watering and lighting needs when you build landscape beds for your trees and shrubs.
With in-ground irrigation, keeping your plants watered becomes almost effortless. And because an irrigation system makes it so convenient to water, you’re more likely to give your plants the right amount of water at the right time of day, so that they stay healthy.
Garden lighting systems, usually made of low voltage, 12-volt lighting cables and fixtures, are also best installed during landscape construction. Whether to illuminate your plantings to showcase their beauty or to provide safety when walking in the garden at night, lighting adds depth and drama while extending the hours of use for your garden.
If you are building a raised bed, the best time to place the water supply lines is prior to or during construction. Cap the lines off and install irrigation spray heads or bubblers when you fill the planters with soil and install trees or shrubs.
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