Designing the perfect yard is a challenging prospect on a good day, but landscaping on hills can be nearly impossible. The greatest concern with a yard that included slopes is erosion of the soil. This concern must be addressed, whether through plantings, mulch or other methods, to ensure that the yard keeps its proper structure over the years and despite the elements. Potential erosion can be addressed by landscaping on hills using a number of methods and materials to prevent future problems. By making good choices at the beginning of your landscape plan, you are much more likely to keep your entire yard intact for many years to come.

Ground Coverings
One choice for landscaping on hills is to use a variety of ground coverings on your slope, such as mulch or rock. These materials will keep your incline intact by preventing erosion, and will add to the beauty of your yard at the same time. Rock and mulch are also convenient materials to use in this type of situation because they will not require much maintenance to keep them looking good. This can be an attractive feature if you don’t want the challenge of keeping a steep hill well manicured by mowing, weeding or planting.

Plants
Plants can be another good option for landscaping on hills, particularly those that have an intricate root system that will keep the soil in place and require little or no maintenance to remain healthy and attractive. One of the most popular plants used for landscaping on hills is the creeping juniper because it will embed itself deeply within the ground and spread to cover the sloping area quite nicely. However, these large root systems also mean that once juniper is planted, it is very difficult to remove, so be sure of your choice before adding this plant to your landscape.

Erosion Mats and Other Products
There are also products on the market that are specifically designed to prevent soil erosion, such as erosion mats that cover the slope and are pinned down to protect the soil underneath. There are also binding products that come in either powder or liquid form, that can be added to the soil to form a hard crust on top that will help stop erosion from occurring. While these methods can be very effective in their purpose for landscaping on hills, they do not lend themselves well to revegetation, and should not be used if you are planning to plant in the area as well.

Landscaping on hills can be a challenging prospect to even more experienced landscape architects, but it is far from impossible. The first step is to prevent erosion from occurring on the slope and the next step is to create a beautiful focal point using that hill as an asset rather than a detriment.

Tags: Landscaping on Hills

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