That picture is a structural disaster waiting to happen. Whoever built that raised bed just invited water rot and termites directly into the framing of their house. You never ever pile wet dirt and mulch up against siding or above the foundation line. If you are planning to replicate this exact setup in your own yard you need to stop immediately. Any soil or mulch needs to stay at least six inches below that transition line where the concrete foundation meets the wood or siding.
If you want to add structure and curb appeal without destroying your walls you need to keep the bed at grade and rely on the plants themselves for height. Instead of spacing out tiny little isolated plants like polka dots the way they did in that photo you should plant in sweeping connected masses that flow together. Dropping single plants into a sea of black mulch just looks restless and cluttered. You need a unified texture to create actual visual calm.
Before you go out and buy a pallet of retaining wall blocks and make an expensive mistake you should run a picture of your actual yard through the GardenDream web app. It acts as a blueprint and a safety net to help DIYers visualize constructible layouts and proper plant groupings. You can test out different ideas at the correct grade so you know exactly what it will look like and how it will function before you start digging.
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That picture is a structural disaster waiting to happen. Whoever built that raised bed just invited water rot and termites directly into the framing of their house. You never ever pile wet dirt and mulch up against siding or above the foundation line. If you are planning to replicate this exact setup in your own yard you need to stop immediately. Any soil or mulch needs to stay at least six inches below that transition line where the concrete foundation meets the wood or siding.
If you want to add structure and curb appeal without destroying your walls you need to keep the bed at grade and rely on the plants themselves for height. Instead of spacing out tiny little isolated plants like polka dots the way they did in that photo you should plant in sweeping connected masses that flow together. Dropping single plants into a sea of black mulch just looks restless and cluttered. You need a unified texture to create actual visual calm.
Before you go out and buy a pallet of retaining wall blocks and make an expensive mistake you should run a picture of your actual yard through the GardenDream web app. It acts as a blueprint and a safety net to help DIYers visualize constructible layouts and proper plant groupings. You can test out different ideas at the correct grade so you know exactly what it will look like and how it will function before you start digging.