Landscaping a sloped yard?

Question

We are trying to choose between 2 houses to buy and the major factor in the one I love is the landscaping. The lot is 1 acre, but very downward sloped. The builder put a large deck on the back with no access to ground (since it is such a big slope. Does anyone have any ideas on how to landscape a sloped yard? I saw a house that added a lower deck under the existing to utilize the space and I have seen some neat ones where they built almost like steps and filled with flowers. I'd hate to have a whole acre of nothingness behind my house!

Answer 1

Imagine having to mow a sloped lawn like that!

Things you could consider are rockwalls.  That would require some modification to your slope, though.  But below the wall you could build a water garden, a gazebo or some kind of vegetable patch.

Answer 2

The roots of trees will help prevent erosion and ground cover and mulching will save you trying to cut grass or weed. A local garden centre can make suggestions as to what will grow well in your area.

Good Growing!

Answer 3

We live on a sloped property and use a series of terraces, steps and retaining walls to create different outdoor rooms.  We have a dining room with a food preparation area, a living room with a couch chairs and occasional tables.  And, we have several "resting areas" to enjoy the views, plants, gardens and water features.  We made most of ours out of pavers that look like stone (called castle stone) and planted different types of gardens around each area.  We found using a fast growing and blooming ground cover stops erosion and helps keep moisture on the ground while blocking the weeds.  You can find all kinds of ideas on the HGTV and Sunset websites, but we found a great book by Sunset for creating outdoor living spaces at the Lowes that had great ideas, project lists, material supply lists and calculators, etc.