3 Fresh Ideas For Taming A Slope

If you have a sloped yard, you may think there's not much landscaping you can do. In fact, you can turn your slope into an attractive complement to your house. Indeed, according to the Landscaping Network, you should landscape a sloped yard to prevent soil erosion. Transform what seems like a problem area into an asset to your home by taming your slope with landscaping.

Wildflower Meadow

As the Landscaping Network post points out, plants are an ideal way to tame your slope. What you plant depends on how much maintenance you want to put into your landscaping. It's possible to plant a lawn as long as your slope isn't too steep. However, a lawn does present problems of its own.

A better bet is a wildflower meadow. If your slope is steep, plant a few anchor shrubs, or place ornamental stones near the base to control the soil. From there, it's simply a matter of buying wildflower seed packets. All you have to do is scatter the seeds. Because the flowers are wild, you shouldn't have to do much to cultivate your pretty sloped meadow.

Terraced Garden

A steeper slope may require more drastic measures. Retaining walls are a common method for taming steep hills. You can have contractors install one tall wall or a set of shorter walls. If you choose the latter, you end up with a series of terraces that afford you landscaping opportunities. You can landscape each terrace differently or treat them like cohesive tiers on a cake.

For instance, you could create a meadow terrace with the wildflower seeds and a couple tufts of ornamental grass. Another terrace could contain a bench, an arbor and a climbing plant. You could dedicate another terrace to a birdbath and bird-friendly flowers such as honeysuckle and coral bells. Alternatively, landscape each slope with a consistent theme.

Dry Creek Bed

The main reason slopes are a problem is that water runs down, collecting soil along the way. You could use this as an inspiration for your landscaping and install a dry creek bed. For this project, you need to excavate your bed and flatten the soil. You can also put down landscape fabric to stop weeds. From there, simply fill the bed with gravel and line it with river rocks. When it's raining, the water will funnel down the creek bed.

You'll still need to landscape the "banks" of your river bed. Again, you can scatter some wildflower seeds, or you can border the creek with specific plants. Likewise, ensure you plant water-lovers at the base of the creek since they'll be receiving plenty of moisture when it rains.

Create a wildflower meadow, terraced garden or dry creek bed – or some combination of the three – to create beauty out of your sloped yard.