Even if your backyard's topography winds up a steep slope, you can recreate this unique landscape by terracing it as a garden. To achieve this, you can break the large, angled slope into a series of smaller levels, flattened like a step pyramid. This will make your garden area look friendly and inviting in an extraordinary way. When you reshape the sloping ground in this way, you also create a system in which rainwater penetrates into the earth. This prevents the loss of soil and its erosion. Creating a sloped backyard garden can be difficult, but with our guide, you can rediscover balance and harmony in your patio garden.
Terrace the property with a slope and plant appropriately
When planting a terrace bed, you must first consider a few points. Consider the materials used for the retaining walls, the right plants for the conditions created, and the balance of plantings in relation to the hardscape. By terracing the garden and planting properly, you can not only enjoy the decorative benefits but also avoid the dominance of hardscape.
Terracing has historically been the best way to landscape on sloped properties that could be difficult to reach or even dangerous. A sloped garden is created by building a series of retaining walls that provide space for flat beds or lawns. From stone and brick for traditional gardens to concrete and railway sleepers for modern onesIndustrial style landscaping. The choice of decorative materials and building elements is large, but it is the plantings that can give the terrace garden its real style.
Traditional terraced gardenscan reflect the design of the entire outdoor area or house. Mixed plants such as shrubs and perennials, usually found in traditional plantings, not only provide year-round color and vibrancy, but also soften harsh outlines of masonry. The real joy of these raised beds, however, is that when you terrace your garden, you can bring the plants up to eye level. However, this type of planting can be relatively high-maintenance, especially when incorporating perennials that require attention throughout the growing season. For this reason, retaining walls should be low and the patio bed should be kept wide to allow maintenance to be carried out safely. The division with wide steps helps to overcome any problems that may arise in this area.
Which materials should you use?
The randomly created patterns in the stone walls and paving can create the illusion that they are almost reproduced in the planting of the tapestry within the raised beds. Different sized beds provide space for large and small plants without significant competition between them.
Pressholz
One of the best materials for building your own patio garden is pressed wood. It is easy to work with, blends well with plants and is often less expensive than other design elements. This stuff is particularly suitable for a garden like this because of its durability. There are many types of treated lumber on the market, from railroad ties to landscaping lumber that will last for years.
Masonry
Other possible building materials if you want to terrace your garden include bricks, rocks, concrete blocks and similar masonry materials. Some materials such as field stone or brick are even produced specifically for walls and terraces. This means it will be much easier for you to work with if you have no experience with this type of gardening. However, one disadvantage is that most of the products mentioned are more expensive than wood.
How can you terrace your garden?
The safest and most popular way to build a patio is the build and remove method. This technique leaves most of the soil untouched and protects it from erosion should a sudden storm occur during work. This method also doesn't require much in terms of influx or purchasing additional land.
Familiarize yourself with building regulations and the surrounding area
First, contact your local authorities to find out if there are utility lines near your yard or below the soil on the slope. Also check local building regulations if there are any. If the walls of your patio garden are very large, their construction will need to be checked by an expert to ensure that they can withstand the water pressure in the ground. The terraces should also have proper drainage. In addition, they must be well connected to the rest of the slope.
Due to the expertise and equipment required to do it correctly, you should terrace the garden by limiting it to a maximum of 30 to 60 cm in height, depending on the limits in local regulations. Even if you don't want to hire a landscaper to do the work, it's not a bad idea to consult with a professional. This can provide you with multiple options to approach your unique inclination and help you choose the right solution.
Measure and plan individual terraces
First, determine the slope and course of your incline. The rise is the vertical distance from the bottom of the slope to the top. The barrel is the horizontal distance between top and bottom. Knowing this number will help you determine how many patios you can ideally build in the space. For example, if the run is 6 meters and the rise is 2 meters, and you want each bed to be 1.5 meters wide, you will need 4 beds, so the rise of each of them will be 60 cm.
Start gardening
You have to water the soil, but you don't necessarily have to make it fit. If it's a little moist, you won't get dusty once you start digging and moving soil. Building a patio garden can be a labor-intensive project that you should only undertake if you are in excellent physical condition and have some carpentry and landscaping experience under your belt.
If you are unsure about a project of this level, it is better to hire a professional who is experienced in such work. For a DIY project, it is important to first determine the slope and course of the slope. The run is the horizontal measurement between the hill and its bottom. The slope is the vertical distance from the bottom to the top of the slope. Use graders to measure the height and width of each bed, depending on the number of beds you want to have.
Start building the terraced garden at the end of the slope. The more steps you terrace in your garden, the deeper you should dig. Make sure your trench is level and place the foundation layer in it. Next, you need to shape the sides of the patio. It is important that the bottom of the trench is level with the first terrace. Place the next layer over the first layer and anchor it with spikes. Dig the ground at the back of the single patio forward until the box is level. Add additional soil if necessary. Repeat these steps for all levels when terracing the garden. Be sure to find and follow detailed instructions for all complex garden patio design projects. To give you a better idea and inspiration for this, we have provided some ideas and suggestions in the next few lines.
Design options for a slope garden
In contemporary gardens, the hardscape can be the overarching design feature, as with these minimalist concrete retaining walls. The plantings emphasize the clean lines of the walls. Grasses can be the perfect way to achieve the desired effect. The bluegill used here can be a low-maintenance ground cover as this grass requires minimal watering.
In some ways, this design is very similar to the previous one, with its white walls appearing dominant in the area. The difference in this case is the plants, their strengtharchitectural and geometric shapesbalance the entire design. Planting is therefore more than just a gap filler.
In this example we again see grasses as terraced ground cover. Here they are used to soften the uncompromising, rusty Cor-Ten steel retaining walls. The height and color of the plants adapt optimally to the rust of the steel. Ornamental grasses can therefore be a good choice if you are terracing a garden because slope gardens are generally self-draining. However, try to choose those that can survive happily under the given conditions.
As we can see, Corten steel is a popular option for patio gardens. The blue-green coloring of the succulents contrasts well with the metal, and the plants are perfect for dry soils. Pebble mulch aids drainage and prevents water evaporation. In addition, the plant simultaneously offers a strong structural contrast to the plantings and the steel.
A few creative design ideas
One of the real benefits of a patio is the way it can connect the home or yard with the garden and the contours of the landscape. While it is crucial that the size and height of the masonry wall is consistent with the design of the building, it is equally important that the plantings are not intrusive and therefore do not overwhelm the hardscape. The precise planting in this terraced front garden connects all garden beds of different heights and sizes because they have the same color tones.
In this fenced backyard, the same thoughts have been applied to the integrated design of the plants, with green being the predominant color of the foliage. The low retaining walls are reminiscent of the traditional Mediterranean treatment of a hillside property. The horizontal garden beds draw the eye out and make the garden area look wider while providing ample usable space. The terraced plantings are minimalist on the lower levels, with manicured lawns.
These rise to a range of ornamental grasses. The whole thing is rounded off by a living wall at the back of the garden. By using tall, loosely cut bamboo, these plantings can range from lower levels to the heights of the upper retaining wall. The garden design is simple but quite effective and effective.
