12/3/2023 0 Comments Slope landscape design ideas![]() Be sure to irrigate your planted slope, using drip irrigation or soaker hoses, which allow water to soak into the soil and reduce runoff.ĭepending on the size of your slope, you can divide hillsides into more manageable sections with retaining walls, which are strong and stable barrier walls usually made of stone, concrete or lumber. Dig holes that are large enough to allow the roots to spread out and apply a layer of organic mulch between the plants, such as large bark chips. Stagger planting placement to help to prevent water from running straight down the hill. If you have surface soil on solid rock, planting trees helps keep water moving off the slope.įor actual planting, create small divets in the sloping soil as individual planting holes. In most cases, if your slope soil is deeper, a mix of deep-rooted plants like bougainvillea and shallow-rooted plants like monkey flowers or sagebrush are needed to secure the top soil to the bottom rock. A mix of plants and vegetation layers ensure that when it rains, the force of the water hitting the ground is deflected. The planting should be a mix of groundcover, shrubs, trees, and perennials with the areas between plants covered with mulch or boulders. Most hillsides can be made relatively stable with plants. South Deerfield Architects & Designers Habitat Post & Beam, Inc. Is your slope in full sun? Again, noting this factor will help you choose how you landscape your slope. Is your slope accessible? Are you able to walk up your slope or do you need to hold onto something at all times? Your answers will help you decide if you can plant and maintain your slope or bring some of it into your existing backyard landscape. Make mote of what you find because it will inform what types of plants will grow best there (or not grow at all). Meanwhile, analyze for soil with a home test it. If you find solid rock or clay, the soil on top can slide down your bank easier and this will inform what you plant to better “secure” the bank. You don’t want water sitting on your slope because wet soil and mud on a steep hill can cause erosion and slide issues.ĭig another hole somewhere on your slope, preferably where you’re considering landscaping. If it takes several days to drain, that’s not so good. If drainage occurs within an hour or so, that’s good. ![]() Note how long it takes for the water to drain. This is something to keep in mind when you landscape – slope stability.ĭig a hole and fill it with water. Are the channels wide or narrow? What direction are they headed? If the answer is down, erosion control will be a problem and you slope may be more unstable than you want. ![]() Where does water drain on your slope? Is it moving across it or down it? Look for water channel clues. So before we cover what to do with your steep backyard slope, let’s discuss what’s happening on your slope first. Of course, issues like erosion control and drainage pop up when talking about slope management, and are important slope stability considerations. Depending on the slope’s stability and what’s behind it, homeowners have dealt with their backyard banks in a number of ways: landscaping it with ice plant (not recommended), pushing it back for a pool installation, or letting it grow “wild.” ![]() A by-product of Southern California’s hilly terrain or simply of builder-bulldozed soil, these slopes often characterize backyards, especially in North County. Sleep stopes or “banks” run rampant in some San Diego neighborhoods.
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