Your home may be in an area of depression, or you can enjoy a magnificent view from the crest of a tiny hill. In either case, when it comes to landscape design and installation, it can be difficult to figure out what you can do with a backyard that slopes.
This is a problem you’ll need to take into consideration from an aesthetic and safety standpoint, especially in relation to resale values. A sloped yard without landscaping might deter potential buyers, whereas a beautifully maintained backyard is a huge plus.
These ideas for sloped yards could be a source of ideas on what to do.
Break Out in Tiers
Creating several levels on sloped properties will help control erosion and provide you with the possibility of layering different landscaping elements and plants to create a harmonious design. If you choose to use railroad ties, stone pavers, or concrete to create the terrace in your backyard, a terraced landscape design and installation will create a dramatic effect on the overall look and feel of your home.
Build Some Stairs
If you allow vegetation to cover your property’s slope with dazzling chaos, you can bring it back to order by creating stairs that lead to flatter ground. No matter if you decide to build stairs made of wood or concrete stairs, the backyard element will blend in with the landscape design and installation better if it’s flanked by plants along the sides. It is also possible to build a carefully stacked collection of large flat stones to create a natural staircase.
Design a Waterfall
If you’re a bit ambitious, take advantage of the height your backyard’s slope can provide to your advantage and create a stunning water feature. The tranquil sound of water will give an ambiance of relaxation to your backyard, turning it into your private space.
Lay a Winding Path
A path that is winding or a switchback makes it easier and more secure – to walk through a sloped section of land. A winding path is also a nice focal point that attracts the eye to the scenery.
Erect a Retaining Wall
It is possible to make a sloped property more useful by removing a small portion of the hill and building a wall to retain the soil. This is an excellent chance to make a special garden behind and alongside the wall that is retained, and you can reclaim a section of your yard to create grassy areas on flat ground. If you want to build a modern wall for retaining, look into making use of gabion cages.
Cultivate a Rock Garden
Hillsides may pose landscaping challenges for plants that are afflicted by erosion of soil or the poor drainage common to sloped properties. If you place rocks with a variety of dimensions and shapes on the slope, create a solid base for plants that love rock, such as stonecrops, other succulents, and decorative grasses. The rock garden that is used to create slope landscaping appears lush and helps you reduce the maintenance within your garden.
Devise a Destination Fire Pit
A sloping landscape design and installation is a standard landscaping approach that will pay off spectacularly. If there’s a fireplace or outdoor kitchen in the flat portion of your property, the slope isn’t an overlooked space. It’s a way to, or the vista from, an amazing location.
Set Up Some Veggie Beds
Utilize vacant land on a slope that receives full sun by building raised, terraced beds for your vegetables. The deeper areas of the beds are ideal for root vegetables, which require a lot of soil, while the lower ends are ideal for herb plants as well as vining plants.
Rely on Native Plants
The addition of a plant to a hill native to your region can assist in easing maintenance in areas that are difficult to maintain and mow. If you choose native plants, you can be sure that they’ll succeed without a lot of assistance from you. Also, placing them on a slope can aid in reducing erosion by creating an array of roots that keep the soil in place.
Create a Dry Creek Bed
Ideal for a sloped yard, the dry creek bed is an attractive landscaping element that can help to reduce drainage problems. Utilizing found rocks, pebbles, or gravel, make an elongated “river” of stones leading from a point in your yard to a lower area that can be able to hold water. Make sure to fill in the edges of your river with larger stones, as well as in-ground or container-grown plants.
Plant Ground Cover
One of the most simple sloped backyard designs is to establish a sturdy growing, rapid-growing soil cover on the slope. The plants will cover the slope with beautiful foliage and provide erosion control. Asiatic jasmine vinca, jasmine, Liriope, and creeping juniper are some of the options you could consider for this task.
Make sure you purchase several flats of plants that can be arranged in a way that allows you to provide quick, complete coverage.
Install a Play Area
Let your yard’s hilly terrain encourage adventure for your kids! Install a slide in the hill, and then construct an incline that is enough for legs that are short.
Perhaps you can create a climbing space made of carefully placed blocks with flat tops that kids can climb up. You can also build a gentle inclined climb “wall” with sanded planks and securely anchored rock-climbing handholds and footholds.