Behind the Berm
Last July (2021) I hired a local Portland landscape company to remove all the grass in my side yard and install a basalt stepping stone and river rock path with a small planting strip alongside. Just beyond the path, after it meets the back patio, the natural “path” formed by the constraints of the narrow sideyard continues into a shadier woodland area that remained half flower bed and half grass. I call this area “Behind the Berm” and removed the remaining grass myself this spring. The evolution of the plants I added have been nothing short of joyful through all the seasons.
April 28, 2022
The colloquially referred to “Berm” is the bank of azaleas between the Weeping White Spruce and Magnolia.
May 24, 2022
Behind the Berm just after removing the grass and adding fresh planting compost and mulch.
June 3, 2022
The sideyard path looking towards the Berm on a rather wet June day.
June 16, 2022
The hydrangeas coming into bloom.
July 10, 2022
The hydrangeas in full show-off mode. I struggled with a leaf fungus on the hydrangeas this year from the overly wet and late spring weather (see the brown tips and spots). The blooms, thankfully, did not seem much affected.
October 30, 2022
I have been in love with the fall color on these hydrangeas. This is a complete transformation of bloom color. The pink blooms (so far they have not transitioned to blue/purple, though I have fairly acidic soil so we’ll see what happens with time) faded completely to a mauvy brown before transitioning to a burgundy and now deepened to an almost scarlet while the leaves change. Stunning.