This unique plan uses faux berms to provide the screening you need and the four-season interest you crave
Seven years ago a couple in Carroll , Iowa , work up the backyard of their dream — or so they thought . It included an outdoor kitchen , a fireplace , a terrace , and a red-hot tub . But they quickly discovered that it wasmissing something huge : seclusion . When I showed up , they toldme they require to feel less exposed in their backyard . My answer was simple : a garden .
When they are looking for privacy , most people think first about planting a hedge . Hedges can be dainty if you ’re looking to make a very private area , but they are not always necessary . I need to keep the extended aspect from the live attribute without close it off . By choosing an choice to a hedgerow , I was face to create a more playful ambiance without make the distance feel little and enclosed . To solve the job , I designed a enceinte bed and sate it with plants in a style that would create shield where it was most needed .
An island bed mimics a berm and screens the yard
To ply privateness , I suggested creating an island bottom that would reckon like it had been built on a berm at the border of the attribute . This large display would be distracting to drivers passing the property and would make privacy for homeowners sitting on the patio beyond . The angled bed was about 75 human foot longsighted and 15 feet wide . The telling size was important . A slew of people do n’t make island seam expectant enough . They usually total some Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and surround them with plants for a few metrical unit in each direction . By create a tenacious and panoptic layer , you could actually make a space palpate much larger and less suffocating . That was specially true in this case . The island seam I imbed anchored the street corner of the place in a substantial way . There was an empty lot like a shot behind the couple ’s belongings that exposed their outdoor haven to the busy adjacent road . add this large protracted island helped detract from the entertainment space and make the atmosphere more intimate .
To make the garden bed , we first kill the grass but leave it in place and planted straight into it . This kept the survive territory profile intact . Most people would apply a sodomite cutter to remove the sward , but that removes the richest top 2 inches of soil . The dead turf acted as a mulch level , helping to keep moisture and prevent erosion .
A destiny of the great unwashed retrieve they need to add a mound of land to garden beds if they want to increase the height , and I am often asked how I create the look of a shoulder in this landscape without doing that . I simply used the natural forms , texture , and heightsof different plants to create born undulation in the planting itself to give the illusion of a shoulder .
Create movement by layering plants of different heights
Within the bottom , I arranged the plant life in a 360 ° style — in other words , marvelous plants were put in the middle of the berm , average - size ones were sandwich between those tall ones , and short industrial plant were placed around the full circumference . That led viewers to assume that this bed was an factual berm . But to make thing look more lifelike , I occasionally added some heavy plants to the edge of the bed . garden do n’t have to be layered from short in the front to tall in the back . Having unexpected spots of height dotted in little groups or individually in the otherwise smooth pattern of the conception helped with that innate wave effect .
To anchor the design , I first added a large shrub , ‘ Autumn Brilliance ’ service tree ( Amelanchier×grandiflora‘Autumn Brilliance ’ , Zones 4–9 ) , as the main focal point of the bottom . Next , I added a stylized perennial hayfield layer that would have interest in all four season . The two fundamental grasses in this layer were ‘ Karl Foerster ’ feather reed grass ( Calamagrostis×acutiflora‘Karl Foerster ’ , Zones 5–9 ) and ‘ Dancing Wind ’ fully grown Andropogon gerardii ( Andropogon gerardii‘Dancing Wind ’ , Zones 3–9 ) . They made the garden look more playful and would lead a wandering eye through the planting . Scattering them throughout the bed added punctuation mark and height , which helps to make the garden feel magnanimous and diffuses the impose gist of the ‘ Autumn Brilliance ’ shadbush screen . I also sprinkled another ornamental grass , prairie drop-seed ( Sporobolus heterolepis , Zones 3–9 ) , around the bed to soften the planting with its fine - textured tuft . It ’s important to tot grasses to garden bed for crusade . Visually , they offset the effect of loud plants with lots of color and seasonal interest that may presently be make their instant .
Around the patio , there was only a 3 - invertebrate foot barrier for set ( photo above ) . In this location , I used plants that were like to those I used in the island bed , but I was restrained in my choices and preserve the plant pallette smaller . I also adopted a similar approach to layering the plants as I did in the island bed , but I used forgetful plants so that the sight to the berm would not be stymie . I chose plants that were little than 36 inch tall at full height , such as Eastern bee balm ( Monarda bradburiana , Zones 5–8 ) , autumn moor grass ( Sesleria autumnalis , Zones 5–8 ) , and ‘ Hummelo ’ betony ( Stachys officinalis‘Hummelo ’ , Zones 4–8 ) . feature the larger island planting in the background of this small terrace garden helped add a passel of deepness and dimension .
Choose plants with four seasons of appeal
Although I run mostly with perennials in filling the garden beds , they were perennial that look good even in wintertime . I tot up multiseasonal gloss with small group of flora , one that would blossom throughout the class and would not require any extra deadheading or pruning . depend on the musical scale of garden you ’re creating , it ’s important to contribute groups of efflorescence survival of the fittest for each season to get greater visual impact and make the garden blend in more seamlessly with the natural milieu . In the island seam , I planted ‘ Hummelo ’ betonyand ‘ Summer Beauty ’ allium ( Allium‘Summer smasher ’ , Zones 4–9 ) in groupings of three to five . These plant bet stunning in full bloom and later in fall and wintertime .
Remember that spent blooms of plants have a beauty and a intent as well . Plants with pronounced germ header contribute significant texture and facilitate feed wildlife . Bringing birds and other critters to the garden ply added entertainment to gardeners as well .
Four - season garden beds also bring an important welfare to properties that people often forget about — the aspect from inside the house . There are times , especially in winter , when you do n’t have the idealistic weather for sitting outside , but by adding year - round seasonal interest and deepness to your garden , you may continue to enjoy the plants and their accompanying wildlife from the fondness and comfort of your home .
| Behind the scenes|
How to get a layered bed
The design of this garden began with intermit the planting outgrowth down into three steps .
A dense, layered garden design reduces maintenance
Having a full , thickly planted false berm like this one helps make a lower - maintenance garden . How ? When plants mature against one another , they create a plant community , like in nature . Every plant in this garden has its role . Large , geomorphologic plants such as ‘ royal Smoke ’ genus Baptisia ( Baptisia‘Purple Smoke ’ , Zones 3–9 ) have mounding forms and upright habits . Filler plant , such as Eastern bee balm , are institute in field between the morphological plant . Lastly , ground covers such as lesser Nepeta cataria ( Calamintha nepetasubsp.nepeta , Zones 4–9 ) cover the footing under plant that may not have basal foliage to help bottle up weeds.Because less sun is able to reach the soil between closelygrowing plants , fewer weed seeds pullulate . However , it ’s important to be sure that the garden is fully weeded in the spring before the plants thumb out completely and track the soil . After this initial bound sustentation , only a few individual Mary Jane may toss off up throughout the season .
If the skunk are taken care of early in the season when they are modest , it ’s gentle to polish off them . My favourite tool for grass removal , and one that I recommend to all of my node , is the long - deal Dutch push direct handle hoe from DeWit . It has a diamond sword that glides across the ground between plants . This cuts down your time weed and removes the motivation for harmful herbicides .
The want of deadheading ( leaving seminal fluid heads in place ) andthe minimal pruning that ’s require in this design reduce maintenance as well . They also make the garden feel more undetermined and constituent — all while still offering concealment and four - time of year appeal . It ’s not necessary to make physical barrier or establish bulky hedges to ply cover or produce secrecy . More often than not , strategic garden designing and plant placement can do the trick .
|Breaking it down|
Color unites the design
To link dissimilar component of the newly contrive patio , I planted ‘ Dark Towers ’ penstemon ( Penstemon‘Dark Towers’,Zones 3–8 ) in the garden in a few unlike spots . This genus Penstemon has deep Burgundy wine leafage , pinkish bloom , and arresting , glistening come heads that foreground the red tint in the patio ’s design , include its stonework and several outdoor keep element . I planted it sparingly , since its colors are so bold . Each ‘ Dark tugboat ’ genus Penstemon sits gracefully above surrounding grasses and perennial . It makes the perfect accent to connect the patio together .
Austin Eischeid have and operates Austin Eischeid Garden Design , a company based in Chicago .
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
ARS Telescoping Long Reach Pruner
all right Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this internet site , include Amazon Associates and other affiliate ad programs .
Planting in a Post - Wild World : Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes
Buffalo - Style Gardens : make a Quirky , One - of - a - sort secret Garden with Eye - Catching Designs
Get our modish bakshish , how - to articles , and instructional videos station to your inbox .
ratify you up …
Need a screen but not a boxy hedge? Layering plants with different heights and seasons of interest creates a bermlike island bed that provides year-round movement, color, and texture—along with treasured privacy.Photo: courtesy of Austin and Belinda Eischeid
Related Articles
Maintaining Privacy in a Garden Without the Fence
Evergreen Vines Add Privacy and Soften Edges
Designing Deep Garden Beds for Privacy and Interest in Your Outdoor Space
Tour a Garden That Provides Subtle Privacy and Four-Season Appeal
Join Fine horticulture for a gratis hire springy webinar feature Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned plant life diagnostician as well as prof emerita at Purdue University and the ornamental technological handler …
When I spy a peculiar gumption dollar cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few month ago , I knew I was in trouble . With a delicious color pattern …
When we only prioritise plant life we want over plants our landscape needs , each season is filled with a never - ending list of chore : pruning , pinching , watering , treating , ameliorate , and fertilizing , with …
Grasses are visual palette cleansers.With so many flamboyant blooms and so much colorful foliage, ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass, ‘Dancing Wind’ big bluestem, and prairie dropseed provide balance and prevent the display from becoming too overwhelming.Photo: courtesy of Austin and Belinda Eischeid
Subscribe today and save up to 47%
Video
Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat
You must be careful when you go into the backyard of garden designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trigger off on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a pair …
4 Midsummer Favorites From a Plant Breeder’s Garden
Episode 181: Plants You Can’t Kill
Episode 180: Plants with Big, Bold Foliage
4 Steps to Remove Invasive Plants in Your Yard
All Access members get more
Sign up for afree trialand get access to ALL our regional content , plus the rest of the member - only subject matter library .
pop out Free Trial
Height isn’t everything.The challenge in designing beds near the patio was working with a smaller palette of shorter plants that needed to complement those in the larger island bed without obscuring its view.Photo: courtesy of Austin and Belinda Eischeid
Get all over site accession to expert advice , regional content , and more , plus the photographic print magazine .
Start your liberal trial run
Already a member?access
Enjoy this perennial year-round. The round, purple flowers of ‘Summer Beauty’ allium delight in summer and fade to intricate seed heads that stand tall through fall and winter.Photo: courtesy of Austin and Belinda Eischeid
Photo: courtesy of Austin and Belinda Eischeid
Illustration: Elara Tanguy
Photo: courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries Inc.
From furniture to hardscaping, one hue repeats throughout the design of the patio. The stonework around the fireplace, the fountain accents, and the rich sepia in the wood of the pergola highlight the burgundy foliage and seed heads of ‘Dark Towers’ penstemon and underscore it as the star of the patio garden.Photo: courtesy of Austin and Belinda Eischeid
Pink flowers fade to wine-red seed heads. This coloration brings out the redder colors in the design elements on the patio. Those elements likewise further accentuate the red fall colors in the garden.Photo: courtesy of Austin and Belinda Eischeid
Thematic color integrates the patio as a transition to the garden. From the lighter cinnamon-orange color of the chair cushions to the dark maroon of the hot-tub cover, shades of brown, red, and purple blend seamlessly with foliage of ‘Dark Towers’ penstemon in the patio garden beyond.Photo: courtesy of Austin and Belinda Eischeid
