Ways to decorate a garden on a slope. Trees and shrubs for a plot on a slope Landscape design garden on a slope

Many gardeners consider a plot of land with a slope inconvenient for growing garden crops. People involved in landscape design have a different opinion, since such a site can be very interestingly decorated, terraces can be arranged, and a flower garden can be planted on a slope.

With a little effort, a slope on your site can be turned into a charming flowerbed that will delight you and your loved ones.

On a flat area, elevations are specially created for alpine slides, and on a natural slope you will get an excellent picturesque flowerbed, you just need to put in some effort.

Features of areas on a slope

When arranging a site on a slope, you need to remember some features that need to be taken into account:

• streams running down the slope;
• soil washing out;
• differences in microclimate, depending on the orientation of the slope to the cardinal points;
• need on site.

One of the main problems of such areas is the constant flow of water down the slope. For areas with a slope of 5-7° this is the main problem. Water gradually carries away the fertile layer of soil and can erode grooves that spoil the topography of the site. Therefore, to drain water, it is better to dig small grooves yourself in the right places, strengthen them, and install catch basins - small reservoirs - under each of them. They can be used for watering and can also be made into a very interesting decorative element of the garden.

To protect against leaching of the fertile layer, you should not miss such an opportunity as installing a lawn - natural or specially planted. This measure is acceptable in areas with a slope of 7-15°.

To prevent soil from crumbling, stones are used in flower beds as a supporting mechanism.

In areas with a slope of 20° or more, it is necessary to make terraces that are reinforced so that the fertile layer of soil is not washed away. A slope of up to 30° can still be strengthened with turf, leaving a lawn where the grass roots will keep the soil from being washed away. The flower garden can be designed in the form of a smoothly sloping motley lawn. In this case, the plants should be planted quite densely on the site. Small bushes will also strengthen the soil with their roots. But a slope of 30° or more indicates the need to install terraces, which create horizontal areas for flower beds and beds, and also strengthen the soil and keep it from sliding down the slope.

Various materials are suitable for containing the soil: logs, concrete beams and blocks, stones (large single and in groups, laid out in the form of a wall). Terraces made of stones are especially picturesque, and, in addition to practical functions, they also have decorative ones.

Interesting are the terraces decorated with wattle retaining walls. The support stakes are driven deep into the ground, the distance between the fence stakes should be no more than 50 cm. The fence can be made from cherry twigs, of which there are a lot in any area in the form of shoots.

Return to contents

Microclimate of areas on slopes

A flower garden equipped with terraces with flower beds avoids all the problems of a sloped plot.

The location of the slope relative to parts of the world should not be overlooked, especially if the slope is more than 10°. The southern slope is the lightest and warmest; snow melts there faster in spring than in other places. But it is also the driest. In addition, early snow melting is not favorable for all plants, because in spring there are often frosts at night, and plants unprotected by snow often suffer from the cold.

The snow melts earliest on the southwestern slopes; early flowering southern plants cannot be planted on them. Strange as it may sound, the northern slopes are most favorable for them. But if such plants are planted on a southern slope, they need to be covered with snow in the spring.

The eastern and southeastern slopes are characterized by the fact that the snow does not melt on them early, and the sun is quite hot. For shoots that are above the snow, this is dangerous because they can dry out and get sunburned from direct sunlight and reflected from the snow. But in summer, these slopes receive beneficial morning sun rays more than others, and plants are not afraid of the scorching heat of the day on such slopes.

The western slope is more susceptible to the attacks of cold winds carrying snow and rain. But the wind is directed in such a way that it bends the plants towards the ground, which protects them. The gentle eastern slope is not so favorable in this sense.

on a slope requires careful selection of plants, which depends on the direction of the slope. If the plants are chosen incorrectly, the flowerbed will not last long. In addition to the orientation of the slope to the cardinal points, you must also remember that the upper part of such a flower garden will always be warmer and drier than the lower part, so more drought-resistant plants should be planted at the top, and flowers that require moisture in the lower part. Let's consider 2 main options for flower beds located on a slope.

Return to contents

Flower garden on the southern and southwestern slope

A flower garden along a retaining wall is an ideal solution for decorating a leveled area.

On such a warm, sunny slope, it is best to set up an alpine slide. To do this, you need to select various stones, make small terraces and walls. First of all, you need to remove all wild plants, if any, and clear the area. To improve the composition of the flower garden, you can plant several low-growing trees. In this case, juniper, photinia, and Prague viburnum are suitable. If such a flower bed is created directly next to the house, then these plants can be planted right next to the veranda; they will create shade and form a green screen.

For an alpine slide, they are simply necessary. For example, for a southern slope you can use creeping mountain pine, euonymus, St. John's wort, gorse, and dwarf broom.

Ground cover perennials grow well on the stone terraces: iberis, sunflower, blue carnation, myrtle-leaved milkweed, and a small flowerbed with eschscholzia will complement the lower tier.

As a bright accent, you can use bright perennial phlox or a more unusual plant - centranthus (red valerian). For picturesque inserts and filling empty spaces, you can sow sheep fescue. It does not form deep roots, is not demanding of moisture and covers the ground well with its fluffy cushions.

It is quite possible to arrange complex terrain, no matter how overwhelming this task may seem. The uneven terrain and hilly terrain will allow you to use the rarest, most interesting solutions in the design of the site, and you will definitely create your own piece of paradise.

First steps in arranging a site on a slope

First, assess the degree of slope of the site; the financial component of future work directly depends on this. If the slope is too steep, you can go the simple route: plant it with unpretentious ground cover shrubs and perennials. But it is unlikely that you yourself will be delighted with such contemplation of a wild corner.

Therefore, in this case, prepare for additional time spent on changing the terrain of the site.

Secondly, we build terraces. In order to secure the terraces, we build retaining walls. We make them from the material you like, but preference should still be given to natural stone.

If the slope is small, you can strengthen the soil by planting trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. But still, do not refuse to build retaining walls due to their extraordinary picturesqueness.

Thirdly, take care of the stairs, because on such an area with terraces they are simply necessary. But be creative in how you organize them. Let it be separately embedded steps, ladders or serpentine.

The main thing is to ensure your safety when walking on stairs. Therefore, make them from durable, strong materials that have a rough, rough surface. It's better if it's a stone. If the choice is on wood, then make its surface corrugated.

To make climbing the stairs less boring, consider a scheme of green spaces along the paths. Use the most attractive ornamental foliage plants. Select crops so that their flowering dates do not coincide, pleasing the eye from spring to autumn.

Populating a garden on a slope with green inhabitants

So, the work on designing the ornate paths and paths has been completed, the territory of the site is zoned with retaining walls and is unique. Now it’s time to think about landscaping the landscape so that all the architectural delights do not catch the eye.

When choosing plants for a site on a slope, first of all take into account their practical function - protecting the soil from erosion. Therefore, plants with a well-branched root system are needed: barberry, viburnum, privet, lilac, white dogwood, lilac, ground cover roses.

Remember that any plant, even an adult one, needs time to take root, so immediately relying on their protective qualities is wrong. At first, be sure to use cellular materials on terraced areas.

Many ornamental crops will do well on a sunny slope, but they must also be drought-resistant, because water does not stay on the slope for long, and the temperature is higher than on level ground.

Various types of garden geraniums, bells, sunflowers, wormwood, sage, yarrow and mantle, and various grasses are ideal for such areas.

Fill the spaces between the stones of the retaining walls with ground cover crops suitable for alpine hills. These are young plants, saxifrage, sedum, thyme, alyssum, and cloves.

Low shrubs will feel good: barberry, cotoneaster, spirea, which also strengthen the slope from falling. Creeping and dwarf forms of conifers will help to dilute the leafy picture: junipers, pines, spruces.

Of course, do not forget that a garden on a slope requires maintenance. Water and feed the plants from time to time, just not in such quantities as many garden crops.

We decorate the slope with ornamental plants

Ground cover roses are suitable for decorating natural sunny slopes. Today their choice is huge. Almost all varieties are winter-hardy, hardy, grow well, bloom throughout the season and delight owners with lush, bright flowers.

Roses need nutritious and moist soil, so they must be properly cared for if you want stunning blooms and strong, healthy bushes. Just place them in terraced areas so that the soil underneath is level, otherwise both water and nutrients will be washed away and the roses will not survive.

An effective combination will be roses and decorative deciduous shrubs or conifers. The combination of roses with lavender, sage, geraniums, and herbs looks advantageous. Junipers, pines and spruces will highlight the fragile beauty of roses, and in winter they will play the first violin.

To decorate the western, northern and northeastern slopes, you will need shade-loving, shade-tolerant, cold-resistant plants, such as heuchera, astrantia, hosta, and ferns. Among the shrubs, you can choose mahonia, euonymus, elderberry, bladderwort, hydrangea, and rhododendron.

In addition, the surface of the retaining walls themselves can be beautifully decorated with potted crops, the first of which will be geranium.

And the impossible is possible...

On a well-equipped, fortified slope it is quite possible to place a lawn. But provided that it fits into the style of the broken area and you are able to provide the lawn with care.

A garden on a slope is perfect for constructing the most unpredictable, most winding streams and waterfalls flowing into an artificially created reservoir at the bottom of the site.

So, a garden on a slope is a wonderful option to create a unique landscape in which ornamental and wild plants, natural and man-made cascades can coexist. This is a chance to let your creativity fly!

A dacha plot on a slope can be considered as the worst option for individual construction, but you can also look at it from the other side. Some designers are happy to take on the design of such non-standard territories. It is on the slope that you can let go of all your imagination and realize a wide variety of artistic ideas, combine incompatible things, turn inconveniences into benefit and beauty.

An example of landscape design for a site on a slope

To implement some ideas, artificial slides, embankments, rises and slopes are created on flat areas, and a site with a slope is a ready-made natural preparation, all that remains is to design it. The main disadvantage that accompanies landscaping on a slope is, undoubtedly, considerable costs and labor-intensive work. There is no way to do without this, because in order to arrange, grow a garden, or conduct gardening work, you will need to build retaining walls, fortifications, terraces, and steps.

Landscape design and the location of buildings and areas can be very diverse and depend on the degree of slope and the location of the estate.

Zoning rules

The design of a site on a slope and the location of functional areas depend on the preferences of the owners and the capabilities of the territory. Any zoning option requires compliance with its own rules.

Fortifications - decorations

The main disadvantages of a “steep” site are soil shedding and washing out by groundwater. In order for the dacha to please more than one generation, a series of difficult land works aimed at strengthening it is simply necessary. But the created cascade terraces and walls will help create that unique atmosphere.

It is also advisable to place shrubs on a slope, mainly those that have an extensive root system: as they grow, they will both delight and strengthen the slope.

Juniper, dogwood, rosehip, barberry, euonymus, dwarf spruce - these plants turn a neglected hill into a special landscape corner, and also help prevent shedding and retain moisture. Retaining walls are engineering structures that must secure the soil and hold back masses of earth. Laying out a slope without supporting structures is simply impossible.

Depending on the quality of the soil being strengthened, retaining walls can be divided into light and solid. Capital retaining walls up to 3 meters high are solid structures that require and are intended for long-term containment and strengthening of heavy soil mass. Before constructing such a wall, careful engineering calculations are required.

Light walls are erected without a strong foundation; they are intended more for decoration and strengthening of a small area. Material from which retaining walls are made:

Floating Gardens and Nature Views

Retaining walls, installed according to a specific plan, create a unique landscape landscape with terraces. Terracing on a steep slope allows you to create favorable areas with soil for a vegetable garden, garden, and flower beds. Also, with the help of separate terraces, recreation areas are advantageously separated.

The stepped platforms can be arranged vertically one after another, or in a checkerboard pattern; there is only one requirement: the steeper the slope, the narrower the terrace should be.

Properly carried out strengthening of a site using terracing should solve several problems at once:

1. The dacha is divided into convenient functional areas.
2. The slope is strengthened, creating optimal conditions for water flow.
3. The staircase created together with the terrace facilitates freedom of movement.

Very interesting ideas for creating recreation areas on terraced areas. They can be located at different levels. The upper terrace can turn into a viewing platform from which you can admire the amazing landscape while drinking tea at a table.


The rest area on the lower terrace, on the contrary, will create a protected, private environment, allowing you to hide from prying eyes and drafts.

One step, two steps

It is unthinkable without arranging such elements as stairs and. The main staircase for descent and ascent can be part of the terraces or paved separately on the slope. In any case, the steps should be as convenient as possible for transition and at the same time emphasize the style of the entire estate.

Additional paths are arranged with steps or laid out with serpentine. On very high slopes it is appropriate to make transitions and install benches for rest on them. Railings and landings of stairs and paths are places to decorate with vines and climbing flowers.

The material from which the staircase is made can be wood, stone, brick or concrete slabs: only consistency in design, convenience and safety is important.