If you happen to have a naturally sloped yard, you may find it challenging to work on it or fill it with garden decorations.
This is true, especially if the slope is quite steep and a bit difficult to walk into. A sloped yard could also be prone to soil runoff or soil erosion, especially during the rainy season.
However, before you give up on the sloped yard you have at home, know that it also comes with advantages.
A sloped yard can give you an instant overlooking the view. It also gives you a chance to decorate your yard with plants on a hillside or slanting position, giving your garden its own character and interest.
As long as you know how to work on your sloped yard, you’ll surely have your flat yard friends and guests wondering how you pulled it off. They’ll be wondering what it’s like to have a beautifully landscaped sloped yard.
Here are seven tips to get you started with landscaping that sloped yard you have:
1. Break The Slope in Tiers
As mentioned, a sloped yard can be at risk of soil erosion, especially when there’s nothing that’s holding the soil together like tree roots or plants.
As a solution, you can break the slope into tiers to control soil erosion, give your garden a structure, and give you a space to layer your plants and flowers for a harmonious overall design.
You can use a timber retaining wall, concrete, or stones to form the tiers and create a terraced look. Either way, they’ll surely make a dynamic and dramatic impact on your yard’s overall look.
2. Create a Defined Pathway
A sloped yard can be hard to walk on, especially when it’s too steep, and the grass with tiny rocks would make it even more slippery.
So, consider creating a defined pathway made of concrete step stones or flagstones to create friction and make it easier for everyone to walk into. At the same time, this distinctive pathway will also add interest to your yard.
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3. Add a Natural Rock Garden
You may think it’s hard to add plants or flowers into your yard, because the soil is sloping, so it’s easier for them to get washed down by rain.
If you don’t want to break the slope into tiers, you can add boulders and large rocks instead to anchor the soil and keep the plants and flowers in place.
Make your rock garden more natural than it already is by letting the rocks tumble and position on their natural shape. Then, fill it with as many plants and flowers as you want until it looks like a natural rock garden.
4. Make a Natural Staircase
If the yard’s too steep for a pathway, you may also consider creating a natural staircase. To make it realistic, use large, flat stones for every step.
This stone stairway can easily blend into the surrounding plants, especially if you have a natural rock garden on each side of the stairway.
5. Go For Ornamental Grasses
Planting grasses on a sloped yard may be challenging as the seeds may be washed down before they even germinate.
And even if they do, some grasses like turf are shallow-rooted, so it’s easier for them to be eroded during heavy rains. When planting grasses for slopes, ornamental grasses may be the best solution.
They can thrive well in well-drained soils, and they also have long roots that allow them to hold on and stay in place despite the steepness of your yard.
You don’t also need to think about mowing these grasses because mowing on a slope is dangerous. Leave the grasses to grow longer as they will give a cascading effect to your garden every time the wind blows them in any direction.
6. Plant a Vegetable Garden
Growing a vegetable garden is still possible with a sloped yard. To pull this off, you’ll need to create raised garden beds made from wood as they are more practical and stylish than concrete.
Let the garden beds follow the slope’s angle by burying them enough to keep them in place. Now you can use these raised garden beds to plant herbs and spices.
7. Add a Waterfall
If your time, space, and budget allow, a sloped yard can also be a perfect place to add a waterfall. You can use the natural steepness to your advantage by building this dramatic water feature.
Make sure to hire a professional contractor for this one, as building a waterfall is not something that can be a DIY project.
At the end of the waterfall, you can also have a small pond surrounded by various rocks and grasses to transform your yard into a private oasis.
The Beauty of a Sloped Yard
As it turns out, there are numerous things you can do to design and work with your slope. You can create a unique pathway, make a natural rock garden, or even add a waterfall if you’re up for it.
It’s all about how you make an unlikely and awkward space into a breathtaking and unique outdoor area that not all flat yard owners get to enjoy.
