Do you have drainage or stormwater issues that you’d love to be able to address in a practical and attractive way? Or do you have a boring area that needs a dramatic change to make it spring to life? The use of berms and mounds in your residential landscaping design might be just the answer you are looking for.
Berms and mounds are collectively known as earthworks, and they are landscaping grading features designed to build up the ground so as to provide better soil conditions for mass plantings, channel potentially damaging excess water runoff to designated areas, or simply create stunning, multidimensional landscape schemes.
- Berms are typically linear, and while the height and precise pattern might vary, they serve to redirect water or for erosion control.
- Mounds function more like islands rising from a “sea” of lawn and are often utilized for decorative purposes, such as providing surprising explosions of colorful floral drama in the middle of the landscape. They are also used to create privacy around an outdoor living area or a backyard outdoor kitchen.
Now imagine these features at work in your yard, where the careful incorporation of berms and mounds in your residential landscaping design could bring a sense of harmony and order in the combination of aesthetic appeal and utter practicality.
One of the frequent mistakes encountered in the installation is underestimating the amount of fill that will be required for the project, due to the extent of the compaction necessary to guarantee cohesiveness in the soil, and the cost of trucking in fill dirt. Earthworks are most effective in a situation where clean fill is generated by the cuts that have been made in the landscape design plan, thereby providing fill from the site.
“Where topsoil is a limited commodity, a mound or berm can be created with less fertile soil known as substrate such as rubble or gravel. A layer of clay is laid upon the substrate, and then it’s all topped with a thick layer of topsoil,” says Landscaping Network.
Think of the picturesque view of a well tended golf course. Its manicured green terrain rolls smoothly and naturally, despite the fact that the surrounding topography might be a stark contrast. This is achieved through the use of berms and mounds, which when used in a well-planned residential landscape add tremendous curb appeal.
Amazing, right? Call your local landscape professional, Aardweg Landscaping for more of the ins and outs of adding beautiful berms and mounds in your affordable residential landscaping design – and take your landscaped property to the next level!
Aardweg Landscaping is a double Houzz award recipient. In 2015 Aardweg Landscaping of Newtown Square, PA received both
the “Best Of Houzz” 2015 award for Customer Satisfaction by Houzz, and the exclusive “Recommended” badge for top rated professionals on Houzz.
To schedule a complimentary on-site consultation with Aardweg Landscaping call 610.355.0703, or send an email using the website contact form.