Hillside backyard landscaping ideas
How to Garden on a Slope: 12 Ideas for Hillsides
Turn uneven ground into a lush garden with these landscaping tips
By
Marie Iannotti
Marie Iannotti
Marie Iannotti is a life-long gardener and a veteran Master Gardener with nearly three decades of experience. She's also an author of three gardening books, a plant photographer, public speaker, and a former Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator. Marie's garden writing has been featured in newspapers and magazines nationwide and she has been interviewed for Martha Stewart Radio, National Public Radio, and numerous articles.
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Updated on 09/28/22
The Spruce / Marie Iannotti
A slope or hillside can be intimidating when landscape planning. They're also challenging to walk on and work on. Gardening on a slope additionally comes with the risk of soil runoff. Since water naturally runs downhill, it's a good idea to stabilize a slope with contour rows, terraces, or raised beds.
However, hillsides also have some built-in advantages. You have an instant view, and creating a dynamic sense of movement with plants positioned on a hill is easy. This resourceful gardener used the contrasting plant textures of the conical evergreens, spiky flowers, flowing ornamental grasses, and rounded shrubs to animate the garden. The scene is kept moving by a river of silver lamb's ear that runs the length of the bed.
Also, if you're landscaping on a budget, consider groundcovers that will give you a carpet of green along the slope. Incorporate a flower garden on the hill by selecting hillside flowers and vegetation that like to grow in crags and crevices, or on a slope, like sedum, rock cress, creeping phlox, and sweet alyssum.
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Retaining Your Sloped Garden
Retaining walls are how you keep dirt from washing away on a slope.
Soil erosion is bound to happen with water and gravity doing the dirty work. But you can add wood, rock, or concrete block to make a retaining wall to hold the soil in place. You can also stagger retaining walls to build a tiered garden on a slope.
Consider installing a retaining wall if you have a steep slope of over 50% or 45 degrees. When installing any retaining wall, add a good drainage system behind the wall to prevent the wall from cracking or collapsing.
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01 of 12
Terracing a Hillside Vegetable Garden
Kirk Longpré / Pacific HorticultureA hillside can be a blessing when designing a vegetable garden, especially a south-facing slope. This west coast garden shared by the Pacific Horticulture Society takes advantage of the elevated ground along the trellised side by planting flowers that will be at eye level as someone walks down the path.
Each terraced row is on its own level and gets direct sunlight without being shaded by the row in front. It can be a challenge to get supplies and water to the area. It would be wise to consider drip irrigation, and pathways between the vegetable rows are a must. -
02 of 12
Anchoring a Hillside Garden
The Spruce / Marie IannottiThe soil on a hillside is often less than ideal. The topsoil tends to wash off quickly, taking the nutrients and fertility with it. It's not uncommon to have a hillside, primarily rocks, barely covered with a topping of soil. In that case, you may have to create planting pockets and add some additional soil to establish plants.
This gardener made use of two workhorses, astilbe and hosta. Both can grow in the shade of this creek hillside, and both are hardy enough to take hold in the poor soil. She divided the original plants and quickly covered the entire slope within a few years.
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03 of 12
Terracing a Hillside With Stone
sdgtrackerStone walls are a classic way to terrace and tame a hillside.
Although they are a lot of work initially, once they are in place, you have a functional and attractive structure. Stone walls can create planting areas wide enough to work in and around, and they even look good on their own, requiring very little fanfare from the plants contained in them. Since stone tends to heat up early in the spring and hold heat at night, you are creating a microclimate that will allow you to grow plants that would not survive in other areas of your yard. -
04 of 12
A Borrowed Hillside View
The Spruce / Marie IannottiA hillside can become part of your landscape even if it tapers off into the distance. These homeowners live near a wooded lot that slopes toward their yard and house. They limbed up the trees to create a clearer view. They underplanted with actual woodland plants such as maidenhair ferns (Adiantum) and mayapples, as well as rugged workhorses like hostas and foamflower (Tiarella). The effect is almost a fairytale setting that sets the house as a destination.
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05 of 12
Taming a Hillside in Small Bites
1001 GardensWhen the angle of the slope is extreme, stairs are a necessity. However, you do not have to landscape the entire hillside—at least not all at once. Take advantage of the area closest to your living area and create manageable planting boxes. At the lower levels, you can do it without extra equipment, and the boxes are not just easy to work in; they create a garden room for relaxing and entertaining.
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06 of 12
A Natural Hillside Rock Garden
Solidaria GardenPart of the challenge of landscaping a hillside is establishing the plants before they wash down the slope. Plants need water to become established, and watering a barren slope is an invitation for runoff. If you are not going to be terracing the hillside and creating flat areas for planting, adding large rocks and boulders is a good alternative way to anchor the soil while the plants take hold.
This gardener made his hillside rock garden look natural by allowing the rocks to tumble and land where they may.
Some weeding and maintenance are involved in the early years, but it becomes less as the plants spread out. As the plants fill in, it looks like the whole garden evolved independently. -
07 of 12
Gardening a Roadside Slope
The Spruce / Marie iannottiIt's lovely to have a house situated on a hill overlooking the landscape, but that sometimes means your yard slopes down to the road, giving you the effect of a hell strip in your front yard. As with any other slope, you need tough plants that won't require a lot of grooming. Shrubs and evergreen are ideal for this situation. Since you don't want to obscure the view at the side of the road completely, fill in the front section with lower-growing perennials that will not need frequent division, such as hosta and ferns.
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08 of 12
Creating an Alpine Hillside Garden
The Spruce / Marie IannottiConsider yourself lucky if your hillside is basically scree or naturally covered in rocks.
You can create a unique alpine garden that will draw the eye upward. Follow this gardener's lead and use the existing rocks, but reposition them. Larger slabs are used as steps and platforms. She also makes liberal use of hypertufa or artificial limestone, which blends in beautifully with the natural stone. Finally, pea gravel is used as a mulch, to prevent runoff and create a unifying color palette. Large evergreens give the planting weight, and self-sowing perennials, like corydalis, are allowed to fill in where they will and soften the rocky ledge.
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09 of 12
Turning a Hillside Into a Garden Walk
Carol Norquist / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0Terracing the walkway while leaving the planting area elevated gives the effect of encompassing passersby in the flowers. Instead of steps, these homeowners have chosen to lay stepping stones with just enough traction to keep walkers steady.
The exuberant perennials along the walkway are given even more level changes by using containers and pot stands on the lower levels, which create focal points for the journey down.
And drivers passing by on the road get a full view of the hillside garden, rather than only the front few plants a flat garden would afford them. -
10 of 12
A Four-Season Hillside Garden
PicreviseWhen you have a hillside that frames a view of your house, you want it to remain attractive year-round. Colorful shrubs are the perfect answer. Not only do they have four seasons of interest, they require minimal, if any, maintenance. A little pruning in the spring and your hillside should look good for the rest of the year. And shrubs are excellent for controlling erosion. Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia), California lilac (Ceanothus), and prostrate rosemary make good choices.
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11 of 12
Covering Ground on a Hillside
Scott Beuerlein / State by State GardeningFor a gentle slope or berm that connects a wooded area with your open lawn, create a smooth transition with groundcovers that naturalize and create a colorful carpet.
The soil will drain quickly on a berm, so treat it like a rock garden and use plants such as creeping phlox, alpines, perennial geraniums, and tiny bellflowers. Using flowers in white and soft pastels will keep the cool feel of the woodland. You can extend the color past the spring bloomers with white and yellow variegated foliage. -
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Low-Maintenance Plants for a Hillside Garden
The Spruce / Marie IannottiRunoff is one of the biggest challenges with hillside gardens and even more so when the slope runs off into the driveway, where soil can settle. Choose plants that will anchor the hillside, such as shrubs, ornamental grasses, and prairie plants, like coneflower, that form a mat of roots. All these plants hold the ground in place and require minimal maintenance during the growing season. They can even be left standing for winter interest.
With a bit of thought when choosing your plants, any hillside or slope can become a focal point in your yard.
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Break Out in Tiers
1/11
Creating several tiers on a sloped property can help manage erosion and give you the opportunity to layer different plants and landscaping elements for a cohesive design. Whether you use railroad ties, stone pavers, or concrete to form the tiers, they will make a dramatic impact on the overall look of your property.
Related: 9 Clever Landscaping Hacks for Your Best-Ever Yard
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Build Some Stairs
2/11
If you choose to let vegetation cover your sloping property in glorious abandon, impose a little order by building a set of stairs leading up to flatter ground. Whether you opt for a wooden staircase or concrete steps, this garden feature will blend into the landscape far better if it’s surrounded by plantings on either side.
Related: 12 Perfect Plants for Lining Your Pathway
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Make a Natural Staircase
3/11
Use a natural material like stone to create a stepped pathway through your sloping property. A stone stairway will complement surrounding plantings and help anchor your landscaping design.
Related: 7 Thrifty Designs for a DIY Walkway
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Design a Waterfall
4/11
If you’re ambitious, use the height that your hilly backyard provides to your advantage, and build a sensational water feature. The soothing sound of water will bring a relaxing air to your outdoor space, turning it into your own private oasis.
Related: 10 Outdoor Living Ideas to Steal from California
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Lay a Winding Path
5/11
A winding or switchback path can make it much easier—and safer—to explore a sloped piece of property. A meandering pathway also provides an attractive focal point and draws the eye through the landscape.
Related: 10 Inspiring Ideas for Your Side Yard
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Erect a Retaining Wall
6/11
You can make a sloping property more functional by cutting away a portion of a hill and installing a retaining wall to hold back the soil. This is a great opportunity to create a dedicated planting area behind and along the retaining wall, while reclaiming a portion of your yard for an expanse of grass on level ground.
Related: Edge Your Beds: 11 Easy Ideas for Landscape Borders
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Cultivate a Rock Garden
7/11
Hillsides can pose a landscaping challenge for plants, which can suffer from the soil erosion or poor drainage typical of sloping properties. When you arrange rocks of varying shapes and sizes on your hillside, you create a stable base for rock-loving plants like stonecrop, ornamental grasses, and creeping ground covers.
A rock garden looks lush and satisfying to the eye, and reduces your maintenance load in the yard.
Related: 25 Plants for Your Easiest Garden Ever
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Devise a Destination Fire Pit
8/11
Building hardscapes into a sloping property is a common and rewarding landscaping practice. When a design culminates in an alluring destination like a fire pit, you’ll draw visitors through your yard and transform what might otherwise be neglected space into the place to be.
Related: No Money to Burn? 9 Fire Pits You Can Afford
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Install Veggie Beds
9/11
You can take advantage of unused real estate on a slope that gets full sun by installing raised beds for vegetables. Deeper sections of the beds can be used for root vegetables that require more soil, and the shallower portions will be perfect for herbs and vining plants.
Related: 13 Creative Designs for Easy DIY Planters
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Rely on Native Plants
10/11
Festooning a hillside with plants that are native to your area can help make maintenance easier in a spot that would be difficult to mow and landscape. With native plants, you can be fairly certain that they’ll be successful without much help from you, and they will help reduce erosion by providing a network of roots to hold soil in place.
Related: 25 Amazing Plants That Are Native to North America
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How to Cope with a Slope
11/11
With the right plan, even a steeply sloped backyard can be useable and enjoyable.
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our works in the Moscow region
Anna and Vasily Nikiforov have a small but very cozy house with a plot in Gribki, Moscow region. Their backyard deck sits on a slope that leads to a spacious orchard full of trees and fruit bushes. Garden on an inclined surface - how to use its potential? With such a question, they turned to our company
A plot on a hillside is not an easy task, but not for GREEN GOOSE designers!
Anna and Vasily are nature lovers, they love to surround themselves with natural materials, value quality furniture and spend a lot of time in nature. They do not like the excess of objects and glamor - they like it when nature comes into their lives with the help of ideas and often use original solutions. They need a bright and colorful place to spend time with family, children, grandchildren and friends.
Our slope site improvement clients: Anna and Vasily Nikiforov The first step in realizing their dream was to build a house - traditional, low, with ecological solutions inside and with a large wide terrace.
The plot is rectangular in shape with a slight slope, and the house itself is located above the lawn. From the terrace there is direct access to the garden, which has a large slope.
When Anna and Vasily started landscaping the backyard of the house, they faced a dilemma - how to improve the slope? How to make this defect, from the point of view of the majority of the inhabitants, in the garden harmoniously combined with other design elements, so that it decorates, is safe and at the same time looks natural?
Another question that we helped the customer with: How to deal with the blowing of the site, especially in autumn and spring, when you want to sit with fools at the barbecue?
SLOPE PLOT
Slope plot: wooden sheets used for terracing A garden on a sloping plot brings many interesting ideas. Before starting work, it is worth considering whether you prefer a simple, even lawn or dream of a somewhat wild, overgrown area that surprises and changes, even if it is limited to a few square meters.
Anna and Vasily dreamed of a free varied orchard and a richly overgrown, multi-level and safe terrace. So, let's begin!
The area around the terrace is very sunny, so for the slope selected plants that withstand high temperatures and longevity. Anna does not like classic rockeries, so herbs and broad-leaved plants have become dominant plants.
Plants in concrete containers on a slopePlant containers (pots) were used for planting plants at various stages of improvement. Thanks to this combination of vegetation, growing is relatively easy, does not require regular watering, and brings a touch of romance to the garden. To facilitate the maintenance of green spaces, a simple drip irrigation system was installed.
RECREATION AREA
Anna and Vasily love to meet with friends, feast together and cook on an open fire: barbecue. It happens that they are visited by families with children who love to play among the plants, collect pebbles and splash in the water.
Recreation area on the plot To visually increase the space, our customers asked to build a wooden terrace on supports.
It is here that a recreation area with a playground for children has been created. Next to the set, consisting of a table and comfortable chairs, there is a barbecue area.
Auxiliary lighting will allow our customers to socialize with friends outdoors even after dark – all in muted shades of brown, gray and white that are in harmony with nature.
WIND PROTECTION ON THE SLOPE
To protect against cold and wind on long summer evenings, a wooden fence made of wooden picket fence was installed around the terrace. It also reduces noise that may come from neighbors. It is also wind protection for small plants on slopes.
Wooden picket fenceThe wind will not spoil the mood and comfort of staying on the site. Anna and Vasily also decided to diversify the garden decor. To do this, we suggested using openwork panels, around which climbing plants are now growing.
LAWNS ON THE SLOPE
The area around the house of Anya and Vasily is gently sloping, dotted with many trees and shrubs.
There is a relatively small lawn, in places difficult to access and requiring more thorough care. To make the grass always look attractive, we used a good branded variety that is resistant to trampling and mechanical damage.
In addition, we recommend purchasing a light, handy and compact mower that is easy to carry around the field or put away in the utility room after work.
Thanks to the automatic irrigation system, you can be sure that the lawn in the summer will not be too dry and require additional maintenance time.
landscaping options, photos of finished projects
When a plot of land allocated or purchased for development is located on a slope, you should not despair. If you plan the territory correctly, think over the landscape design of the site with a slope, you will be able to make a cozy place in a modern style. Difficult terrain has its disadvantages, designers will teach you how to turn their advantages.
The slope on the plot is not a vice, but an excellent reason for arranging a non-trivial landscape design
Rules for landscape design on a plot with a slope
Contents
- Landscape design rules for a plot with a slope
- Methods for strengthening slopes
- Strengthening with geomaterial 6
- Drainage in relief
- Plant selection for slopes
- Retaining walls in relief
- supporting structures
- Ideas for the design of the embossed section
- stream and waterfall
- deck
- Alpine hill
- Vertical garden
- Video: Terses with your own hands 900 with a slope
When planning, you must follow a few rules:
- Residential and utility buildings are located on top, then the buildings are not threatened by flooding.
- The relief is being traced - platforms are organized at different levels.
- Moisture-loving crops are planted in the lower part, drainage is done.
Stone walls, terraces, stairs, winding paths - all this only decorates an uneven area. Determine:
- level of groundwater at different heights;
- features of soil, soil layer;
- geological complexities of the relief;
- the possibility of laying communications (water supply, sewerage, electrical wiring).
Identify areas to be reinforced, select material, select plants.
Plants should be selected according to the level of sunlight in a particular area of the garden
If the area is located on the south side of the mountain, shade-loving crops will not grow. When looking at the north, it is useless to plant sun-loving flowers.
Functional areas necessary for comfortable living are located on artificially created ledges. For this, earthworks are erected, fortification works are carried out.
On the terraces suit: - flower beds;
- kitchen gardens;
- sports and playgrounds;
- solariums;
- places for recreation.
Install light gazebos, arches, sculptures, play equipment, garden furniture. Stone ledges are created between horizontal platforms, stairs are made. The site on the slope is transformed, it becomes picturesque.
Great slope idea - observation deck with bench or table for outdoor dining
Methods for strengthening slopes
When the site is on a slope, any landscaping option involves excavation to level the terrain. If the territory is left unchanged, the top layer of the earth will gradually collapse from precipitation. On uneven slopes, there is a high probability of collapses, landslides. Strengthening the soil layer is necessary. Plants with a strong root system are planted on gently sloping sites. Slopes over 70 degrees are reinforced or leveled.
Shrubs with a strong root system will serve as a natural slope reinforcement
Reinforcement with geomaterial
Environmentally friendly materials are used for laying.
Previously, geotextiles are spread on the ground - a non-woven material made of polyesters and propylene fibers. They are fixed from above: To strengthen the soil surface, a geogrid or geogrid is used, depending on the steepness of the slope.
- geogrid - a grid of dense bioresistant tapes, between which gravel is poured or concrete is poured;
- gabion - a metal frame of a certain shape, filled with crushed stone or pebbles.
Options for reinforcing the terrace slope
Soil or natural stone is laid on top of the reinforcement. On fortified sites, you can sow herbs, flowers, plant small shrubs.
Drainage in a relief area
A drainage system is required in high groundwater levels, in flooded areas where rain and snow water accumulates. Before laying drainage pipes, determine the location of the buildings. Pipes with holes for water drainage are laid to a depth of 30–50 cm. A sand and gravel cushion 7–10 cm high is preliminarily made.
Open drainage involves a system of trenches for storm drains up to 20 cm deep, with walls beveled up to 30 degrees.
Drainage pipes must be laid before the arrangement of paths and planting of plants
For reference: in small areas, point drainage is sufficient - prepared pipes are buried vertically to a depth of 1 meter, covered with large gravel.
Selection of plants for slope areas
Ornamental shrubs, herbs, perennial flowers are used for the root-forming layer. When choosing crops, several factors are taken into account:
- the degree of illumination of the fortified territory;
- angle of inclination, drought-resistant herbs and bushes are chosen for the upper part of the slope, moisture-loving plants are planted in the lower part;
- climatic features of the region, for temperate latitudes acquire zoned crops that are resistant to harsh winters, a sharp temperature drop;
- colors of buds, make up harmonious compositions;
- flowering time, you can choose flowers in such a way that the plants will delight with inflorescences from early spring to late autumn.
The northern slope is ideal for conifers such as juniper or mountain pine
On the southern slope it is worth building a flower bed and planting light-loving drought-resistant flowers on it. Creeping, creeping species with a fibrous root system are selected from shrubs. For decoration, flowering shrubs with carved and colored foliage are chosen.
For decorating retaining walls, ampelous flowers are chosen, forming lashes up to 3 m long.
Retaining walls in a relief area
Vertical type structures are erected from concrete, stone, brick with or without mortar. Retaining walls prevent soil from crumbling, hold the terrace. The height of the structure depends on the angle of the slope, the area of the leveled area.
First of all, it is necessary to draw up a project for the placement of buildings, retaining walls and terraces on the site. Steps are made from 3 to 15 meters wide. Ridge structures are preliminarily formed across the slope.
Too high a hill is leveled with concrete with the design of deep cascading flower beds. From a distance, such a finished slope resembles a symmetrical alpine hill.
A low retaining wall can be laid out without a foundation.
Concrete is decorated with flagstone, pebbles or large gravel. For spontaneous illumination of cascades at night, a transparent varnish with a phosphor (like phosphorus) is used.
Retaining wall made of concrete blocks on a deep foundation
Recently, gabions are often used as retaining walls
Design ideas for a relief plot
construction. In such areas, colorful landscapes are created. The slope is a good basis for the formation of horizontal platforms for various purposes. Lonely gazebos with circular landscaping will decorate the site. Stone steps, ledges will add a touch of romanticism.
Terraces with retaining walls are a great way to decorate a site with a slope
On a slope with a height difference of about three meters, you will need to create 3-4 terraces
vegetable garden, and on the third place a flower bed
Stream and waterfall
To drain water from the drainage system near the house, you can make a channel for a stream.
Such an object is functional and will make the site more attractive, original. For a constant water flow, you will need to supply plumbing and electricity for a pump and lighting. A mini-pond can be made from a barrel or other container by burying it and overlaying the pond with stones. For waterfalls, stone steps, concrete retaining walls, ledges between terraces are often used.
For the construction of a stream on a site with a slope, you don’t have to worry about the flow of water - everything will happen naturally
Even a small waterfall made of natural stones looks very impressive
Deck
more elegant than concrete screeds decorated with tiles or stone. The terrace board with resinous impregnation is not afraid of moisture, frost, retains its decorative effect for many years. A deck can be built in any part of the garden for a playground or solarium. Garden furniture is installed on the site, creating an open area for family dinners with leisurely conversations.
A wooden platform can be built above the slope, from which a view of the plot will be opened.
Garden furniture will be installed on the deck, which will turn the platform into a comfortable area for family recreation. Stones and plants complement each other perfectly, emphasizing the natural beauty of the relief. To create rocky flower beds, drought-resistant plants are selected that can develop on rocky soil.
A natural slope is an ideal place for an alpine slide
Flowers and shrubs that feel good in rocky soil are used to decorate the “stone flower bed”
Vertical garden
The irregularity of the relief will help to hide different-level plants. Heat-loving crops are installed in pots, transferred from the winter garden for the summer. The bases are made from curly flowers. It is possible to equip a slope with vegetation only on fertile soil. Stony land is decorated with point compositions, using creeping shrubs with beautiful foliage.
