Sloping landscapes can be beautiful, but they can cause a lot of problems as well. You cannot build on a hilly backyard the same way as one that’s flat. Many factors have to be taken into consideration. You may have to make some major structural changes to your backyard or change the configuration you had in mind. Let’s take a look at a few tips you can use when dealing with a sloping landscape.
Prevent Erosion
If the house itself is built on a slope, there are many things you’ll need to watch out for. One of the most important ones is erosion. You have to make sure that you prevent erosion if you want to protect your house and its foundation in terms of the soil being washed away year after year. You also need to keep the area around your house nice and clean.
Most importantly, you don’t want to deal with more serious issues like landslides. In this case, you will have to look at erosion control solutions. Some may be simple like installing sandbags while others might be more complex like using control blankets made of geotextiles. If you want to learn more about erosion control and erosion in general,
Another thing you have to do is find a way to control surface water. You can physically control erosion, but you have to take steps to divert water that is running down the hillside. You can capture water from higher areas and either divert or pipe it out the bottom. Doing this alone will eliminate a lot of your erosion problems.
Create Tiers
Creating tiers in your backyard will help erosion as well. It will give you more stable soil beds for plantings and give you more options. You’ll be able to layer different landscaping and plants to create a cohesive design. Tiers can be formed with concrete, , or stone pavers and will make a big difference in how your landscape looks.
Use Rocks
When you see rocks in sloping landscaping, they’re not there only for decorative purposes. This is also to prevent erosion and provide a stable base for plants, especially rock-loving ones like ornamental grasses, stonecrop, or creeping ground covers. In addition to providing stability, a rock garden will look beautiful and reduce general maintenance.
Add Veggie Beds
If you have unused space that sees a lot of sun in your backyard, you should consider adding raised veggie beds as well. These are very versatile and will not only look great, but allow you to grow some of the crops that you and your family like the most. You could use the deeper part of the beds to plant root vegetables that need more soil and the shallower areas for things .
Hilly landscapes and hillside houses can be beautiful, but they have to be taken care of properly. Make sure that you follow these few tips and do everything to protect your property and the backyard’s integrity.
Freelance writer, Delicia Warren, is passionate about the environment and the impact humans are having on the world around us. She’s an advocate of holistic approaches to life’s issues, including alternative medicines, as well as having an interest in helping individuals make small changes to their lifestyles to minimize their carbon footprint.
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