Beauty can come from the most unlikely places. Flowers grow up from cow manure, butterflies emerge from shriveled brown chrysalides and stunning adults can surface from surly, awkward teenagers. The environment has little room for waste, and recycling life from decay is the name of the game in the natural world. One Kenmore couple clearly employed this philosophy on their own backyard. After experiencing a series of minor home setbacks over the course of five years, they turned each problem into a solution with the help of local gardening gurus, Berg's Landscaping. They began by spending time indoors looking out, to get a feel for the view, then crafted a plan to give the space a Northwest feel with Asian flare. Berg's built a series of seven-foot, decorative wood screens with offset panels, then added a combination of spot and path lights to create a relationship from the inside to the outside. A paver patio was laid to anchor the area, while feathery textured plantings were placed to create depth of field. Hinoki Cypress, Japanese Maples and Heavenly Bamboo all took residence, adding a serene quality to the yard. 
It began in November of 2003, when a drainage problem in the lower west side of their mid-century rambler spurred them to work from the outside in. After calling on Master Builders Association member, Berg's Landscaping for backup, they asked for a landscaping solution to their watery woes. Berg's diverted the source of the water and set about creating a wholly new side yard environment. 
The second project came a few years later, in 2005, when the couple reached out to Berg's Landscaping for a backyard overhaul. Their yard lacked definition and character, but they didn’t want to sacrifice any of the existing trees that dotted the space in disparate locations. Berg's took up this challenge by designing a series of terraces on the existing slope, leading up to a vegetable garden area. Pressure-treated timbers rooted each terrace level, and Berg's installed a drainage system behind each terrace to allow for water build-up. They worked around the existing trees and also reincorporated the plantings they removed to make room for the groundscaping. In order to offset the grand scale of the mature trees, Berg's utilized smaller scale specimen trees like Kousa Dogwood and Hinoki Cypress. They also introduced Japanese Maples to tie in to the theme of the side yard they had done years before. Perennials and woody ornamentals were also planted, while Hostas took residence in the shadiest nooks. Berg's Landscaping got the call for their third project in the winter of 2008. During a particularly violent storm, a large Evergreen tree had fallen on the east side of the house, damaging several other trees in its wake. Berg's sized up the situation and whipped up a creative new landscaping solution for the mess. The homeowners didn’t want to remove the stump of their fallen friend, so Berg's utilized the tree remnants in a new water feature. They took the existing exposed aggregate patio and added granite stones to hem in the water feature, which flowed around the tree stump for a wholly organic feel. Berg's then tied into the theme from the west side of the house with matching pressure treated terraces and cedar screen fences, lighting and irrigation. As a final touch, they added a barbecue area to offer utility to the area and offer an extension of the interior kitchen. This side of the rambler had recently undergone a remodeling transformation, leaving a lovely new kitchen and dining room with a big new picture window looking directly out onto this new eastside water feature. By tying the inside to the outside, Berg's was able to create a cohesive feel to the now (finally) completed yard. 
As frustrating as home problems may be, and the little earthquakes they cause in our daily routines, it's wonderful when art can spring from chaos. Looking out onto their lovingly sculpted yard, the homeowner mused that Berg's "came up with a beautiful project, and I'm very happy with what they’ve accomplished." A phoenix from the ashes, indeed.
To find out more about Berg's landscaping, visit them on the web at www.bergslandscaping.com
For more information on the MBA, visit www.masterbuildersinfo.com.