Landscaping Ideas for Slopes

One of the most challenging types of land to work with is the slope. If you have a sloped outdoor area you may think there is no way to landscape it properly. The good news is that there are landscaping ideas for slopes that can be used to make your outdoor area more appealing and useful. The first thing that needs to be done is to smooth out any small ditches, indentations or bumps in the land that you do have. You want your land to be as level as possible for the best results. There are a couple of unique challenges you may face when dealing with a hilly area, and they have to do with rain.

Erosion is one such problem that many homeowners dealing with sloped land must deal with. Another problem is a lack of moisture due to rainwater running downhill. There are ways to work around this, however. Planting hardy shrubs and trees at your slope can help a great deal. Juniper is a great choice. This beautiful and sturdy plants are perfect for areas that get a lot of sun. They can help harness erosion and reduce the amount of weeds in the area. Phlox is another good plant choice when it comes to a hillside area. One of the best advantages when planting ground cover like this is that you won't have to mow the slope.

Some homeowners find the need for a retaining wall. Retaining walls are recommended for small slopes. Another landscaping trick for sloped areas is to build a dry creek bed. Building a dry creek bed can help save your land from erosion. As mentioned earlier, erosion can be a real problem for sloped land. A dry creek bed helps redirect the rainwater and prevents it from eroding away your land.

On the level part of your land, beautify the area with some colorful flowers and attractive plants. You might also want to add an outdoor patio set to give people a comfortable place to sit. A sloped area can still be comfortable and beautiful despite the inconvenient topography. You may want to get more landscaping ideas for slopes from books or even landscaping websites. There is plenty of information out there about landscaping to help you make the most of your land, whether it is sloped or not.

Copyright 2007 Jim Sterling - All Rights Reserved

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