As of: February 11, 2024, 5:30 a.m
By: Ines Alms
Comments
Press
Split
Anyone who wants to create or redesign a garden on a slope is sometimes faced with unexpected challenges.
There are a few important aspects you should consider in advance.
Turn a hillside location into a prime location.
How you want to design a slope garden should be carefully considered.
Whether picturesque or with architectural refinements - if all important aspects from erosion protection to planting are taken into account, you get the chance for an unmistakable piece of green.
But how do you plan and design a hillside garden that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing?
This requires a certain amount of creativity and patience, but you can transform your hillside garden into an eye-catcher.
The special feature of a slope garden
Slope gardens can offer the eye a lot of variety through various design elements.
© Zoonar/Imago
A hillside garden offers natural beauty and a dynamic landscape that changes dramatically throughout the seasons.
The challenge is to use the slope while preventing erosion.
Slope gardens offer a unique opportunity to play with height differences and integrate different plant species that thrive in the microclimate of the terrace location or that do not become sloping even on steeper slopes.
Planning your slope garden
Before you start designing, careful planning is essential.
When it comes to the system itself, you should always proceed from bottom to top.
Consider how you can use walls, patios, or steps to stabilize the slope while making the most of the space.
For example, a wall can also be a place to sit.
When planning, depending on the material, you should also take drainage into account so that rainwater can drain away easily - after all, the terraces should also be able to withstand heavy rain.
Stairs should be designed with foresight in such a way that all generations can easily climb up and down.
Don't forget to create paths where you can move around safely.
This is particularly important if you want to create a vegetable patch that you need to have easy access to for watering and harvesting.
Can you get around the individual terraces with a wheelbarrow if necessary?
If the slope garden is particularly long or steep and requires more than two steps, you should at least leave the creation to professionals.
You can find even more exciting garden topics in our free newsletter, which you can subscribe to right here.
My news
Read which twelve ornamental grasses you need to cut back in late winter
Lime, fertilize and scarify - read how to get your lawn fit again after winter
Freshly sowing the lawn or reseeding in spring – when is it possible? read
Steamed chicory with orange tomato sauce – ready to serve in 25 minutes
Don't throw away old wine corks - read three tips on how plants can use them
Six things to pay attention to when trimming hedges in February read
Selection of plants
When choosing plants for your slope garden, it is important to choose species that can adapt to the slope.
Robust, easy-care ground cover plants, such as cushion perennials or ground cover roses, with their widely branched root systems are well suited to stabilizing the soil and preventing erosion.
Trees, shrubs and ornamental grasses can serve as natural wind and privacy protection and at the same time give the slope garden structure.
Maybe you would like to design individual terraces thematically, with a rock garden, herb garden or with special color accents?
Is the slope sunny or shady?
It is important to pay attention to the requirements of the plants.
If you decide to only have a lawn, you should design it so that it is easy to mow.
Avoiding plants altogether and relying on seemingly easy-care gravel is not an option, as gravel gardens are banned in Germany.
Surprising elements
Depending on the size and angle of inclination, a surprising element in a sloped garden can be a hidden terrace with seating and a barbecue area, plant arches or a water feature that flows down the slope.
These elements also invite you to explore the garden and discover new perspectives.
Not to forget: If you don't have too big of a wallet, you should always keep the cost factor in mind when choosing the different materials and decorative elements.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at her own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our AI principles here.