Landscape Ideas for a Sloping Backyard

A selection of drought-resistant plants beautify this slope.

Whether your yard slopes up, down or from side to side, you shouldn't view it as a problem when designing your landscape. With a little imagination, you can create a beautiful yard on either a steep slope or a gentle one. A slope can actually work to your advantage when designing water features or showcasing specialty plants. It is also a natural setting for the xeriscaping designs so popular today.

Xeriscaping a Slope

Drought-tolerant plants dominate this slope.

Mowing on a slope is sometimes difficult. If the slope is steep, it can also be dangerous. A gentle slope planted in a well-maintained green lawn is beautiful, but expansive lawns are thirsty and time-consuming. Many home owners are turning to sustainable, low-maintenance landscaping, resulting in more paved areas and drought-tolerant plant groupings. A slope using native plants, ornamental grasses, boulders and rocks is attractive and eco-friendly. Xeriscaping is an example of this. According to the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery, "xeri" translates to "dry" -- a xeriscape is therefore a dry scene. The best xeriscapes use only a fraction of the water required by traditional landscaping.

Terracing on a Slope

Plants grow in stairsteps on a terraced slope.

If the climate is mild or if you live in a coastal region where the humidity is high, your landscape plan can include plants that are more delicate in nature than the drought-tolerate plants native to hot, dry areas. By terracing your slope, you can retain moisture in the soil and prevent wasteful runoff. Terracing the slope gives you a flat area to stand on while you work among your plants. According to MGP Inc., master gardeners, terracing is usually started with a retaining wall at the bottom of the slope. Let your retaining wall wander a bit. Remember, there are no straight lines in nature. Your terraces will be more aesthetically-pleasing if designed in a natural way.

Ground Covers and Erosion Prevention

Ice plant is striking when in full bloom.

If you aren't a gardener at heart and just want something to fill an unattractive bare area, a ground cover is a good choice for a gentle slope. Ice plant is a low-maintenance, drought-resistant succulent. It takes full sun, spreads quickly and is strikingly beautiful when in full bloom. It forms a deep carpet, inhibiting weed growth, but it has short roots that do not prevent erosion on a steep slope. The advice from Las Pilitas Nursery in California is to select trees, shrubs or plants with roots long enough to stabilize the soil if the slope is steep. Low-growing juniper, plumbago or white sage are good choices.

Water Features in Landscape Design

A waterfall captures the eye in a garden.

An ambitious design might include a cascading water feature. Whether elaborate of simple in design, a waterfall in your garden is the crowning touch. It relieves the somewhat stark appearance of some xeriscapes, especially when succulents or other drought-resistant plants are not in bloom. For added interest in your garden you can create a koi pond at the base of the fall. According to Mark Keightley, a landscape contractor in Atlanta, Geogia, and owner of Artistic Landscapes, clean, well-oxygenated water is the key to a successful koi pond. A recirculating pump will provide proper filtration. Water plants add to the beauty of your pond and provide shelter for spawning fish.

References

• California Department of Resources Recyling and Recovery: Xeriscaping
• Artistic Landscapes: Pond Filtration: Koi
• Garden Gates: Gardening and Landscape Design: Ground Covers
• Las Palitas Nursery: Simple Erosion Control for a Hillside or Garden Slope

Resources

• Backyard Landscape Ideas: Ideas for Landscaping a Hill
• Colorado State University: Ground Cover Plants
• MGP Inc.: Terraced Gardening