Big brush strokes of color draw up the eye through the landscape. Here, a bright red stretch of astilbe beckons at the top of the path. Bright blooms of yellow sedum soften the geometric angles of the path and edging. A terra-cotta container offers a no-fuss way to integrate additional flowers and foliage at the base of the slope.
Are you using retaining walls to manage your hillside? Find out how to keep them in great shape.
Pretty plants and trees adorn the base of this steep incline. A grass path sinuously curves around plantings to draw visitors toward the stairs. With no spot along the slope for a resting spot, a bench offers a breather before the rise of the stairs. Shrubs and trees such as a full moon maple maintain year-round visual interest in this hillside landscape. Restrained yet elegant plants, including hostas, roses, and coralbells, provide a cohesive visual style. Ivy works as a vigorous, no-fuss groundcover, with a few shrubs here and there to up the vertical interest. You want to include low-maintenance plants because weeding and trimming can be dangerous on a steep slope. And if you’re at a lake, you want to spend your time enjoying the water, not working in the yard. Slope safety is key. Here a black metal railing fades discreetly into the hillside landscaping. For consistency, place similar shrubs on each terrace. Neither too unusual nor overdone, the plant selection here includes black-eyed Susans, daylilies, and other perennials. Latticework offers perks up a long stretch of wall and provides a spot for a climbing vine. Trees can be used to enclose a yard. To one side of this yard, a cluster of trees shields the area from the neighbors, while the other side has a nearly unobstructed view of the expansive backyard. Plants and materials should complement each other in style and form. The stairs up the slope neatly transition into a series of terraced beds. Repeated groupings of plants such as dusty miller, salvia, phlox, and impatiens, provide visual consistency. Rows of colorful blooms on each level build interest. In place of a rail or a fence, mid-height shrubs fill the space on the narrow side of the path. Several hostas, which cascade over the stair-stepped path, soften the wood edge. Shrubs and steadfast perennials, such as daylilies, congregate at the crown of the hill. Add a path or two along planting beds on your slope; it’ll help make garden maintenance easier. Gravel and flagstones form a path that hugs the bottom of the hill. Repeated groupings of shade-loving plants flank the sides of the walkway, creating a sense of intimacy. Tall trees define the border between one yard and another, and create a lovely backdrop for the plantings. Shrubs dress up the scene at the top of the slope, creating a great scene when viewed from inside the house. Focal points in the form of garden ornaments provide the eye with a place to rest. Symmetry is a key design tool. This garden relies on it for a tidy, classical look. Increasing plant heights draw the eye from the base of the garden up the hill, with lamb’s ears as a groundcover, boxwood at mid-point, and yew at the top of the stairs. A large tree shields a seating area at the top of the hill and adds a visual layer of interesting materials to the garden’s layout. Hardscape materials maintain consistency in your landscape. Using the same type of stone ties together the various walls. Several smaller terraces break up the steep hill; installing small paths also avoids building a massive stretch of retaining wall. Garden beds can be home to permanent plants, or beds can contain containers with annuals or specialty plants, which allows for more flexibility. Here, tidy understated bonsai plants stand in stark contrast to the azalea and rhododendron blooms. Curved metalwork edging echoes the slope of the hill as it discreetly separates the walkway from the grass. Easy-care shrubs add visually interesting elements to the landscape. Here, a collection of shrubs clusters along one side of the walkway, eliminating the need for edging. A trimmed hedge at the top of the hill visually distances the home behind it from the pathway. A sturdy conifer and the more delicate foliage of Japanese maples offer contrast to each other throughout the seasons and offer the feel of a walk in the woods.
