Use low-maintenance perennials, shrubs, and trees to add color and interest to your garden’s steepest spots
We design gardens in northwestern Connecticut ’s Litchfield Hills , and many of our clients ’ properties have incision that are rocky and usurious . squeeze the singular contours of each site , we have built rock gardens , terraces , and plantings that fall downhill . We see each hillside as an chance to put together a satisfying flora palette that is easy to maintain and beautiful to behold . A bonus with incline is that they provide near drainage by their very nature .
The first thing to view when developing a planting plan is the direction the slope faces and the variety of sun exposure it has . Soil consideration and water supply handiness will also help you decide what to found . We are big proponents of working with what nature has provide . If there is shelf nowadays , let it serve as your garden ’s bones , and expose more ledge where you may instead of trying to track it up . Starting from the soil up , we ’ve forgather a listing of some of our preferent unyielding stunners that will beautify almost any hillside .
Perennials Cover Steep Terrain with Tempting Textures
Pennsylvania sedge softens a shaded slope
Name : Carexpensylvanica
Zones:3–8
Size:6 to 12 inch magniloquent and wide
experimental condition : Partial to full shade ; average to dry out , well - drain soil
aboriginal range : Eastern North America
Shade - have sex Pennsylvania sedge is fantabulous when embed en masse , particularly in areas where erosion command is needed . It has fine , arching , semi - evergreen foliage that can serve as a nebular lawn choice in smear that are too shady for turfgrass and too extortionate to mow . It loves arid , well - enfeeble soil , which makes it an ideal ground cover song for wry shade . On a slope , cud of Pennsylvania sedge can be placed 12 inch apart on kernel ; the plant will rapidly fill up in to form a lush , impenetrable carpeting . For a like look , sow a no - mow seed commixture is a budget - friendly alternative worth look at .
‘Sulphureum’ epimedium is as charming as it is resilient
Name : Epimedium×versicolor‘Sulphureum ’
Zones:5–9
Size:9 to 12 inch tall and 9 to 18 inch wide
aboriginal range : loanblend
‘ Sulphureum ’ genus Epimedium is another tough , deciduous land top that address dry shade without complaint . It blooms in other spring , so we like to rationalise back the old growth in late winter and cautiously apply a layer of fine , disconsolate - colored mulch to heighten the exuberant , atomic number 16 - yellow floral exhibit . The heart - mould leaf emerge with blood-red tints , maturing to form endearing green mounds that flush red again in autumn . It is a bully companion flora for spring - flower bulbs and other ephemerals that go back in summer . By then , ‘ Sulphureum ’ will step in to fill the place with neat masses of foliage .
‘Bevan’s Variety’ bigroot geranium is easy to propagate
Name : Geraniummacrorrhizum‘Bevan ’s Variety ’
Zones:4–8
Size:9 to 12 inches tall and 18 to 24 in wide
condition : Full sun to partial tint ; average to dry , well - run out stain
Native range : Southern Europe
If you are depend for a tight - get ground cover for a dry , cheery spot , ‘ Bevan ’s Variety ’ bigroot geranium could be just the plant you want . Its thick rhizomes make it quite drought patient of and helpful for stabilizing steep grades . The roots and stems spread gradually outward to spring a 2 - human foot - wide gym mat . To help oneself the plants spread even more quickly , we transgress off staunch in spring and scratch them right into the soil in a young localisation . These cut will postulate to be hold back dampish until they steady down , but once they are established they will take concern of themselves . ‘ Bevan ’s Variety ’ has deep magenta flowers and nicely perfumed leafage that can be semi - evergreen in milder winter climates .
‘Immortality’ bearded iris looks lovely alone or in groups
Name : Irisgermanica‘Immortality ’
Zones:3–9
Size:24 to 30 column inch grandiloquent and 12 to 24 inches broad
status : Full sun ; well - drain soil
‘ Immortality ’ bearded iris is a dependable rebloomer that return bountiful clear white flowers with pallid yellow throats in both give and fall . masse shot of the crisp , fresh salad days seem stunning standing tall on a hillside , and a unmarried plant exudes regal elegance when set against a rock or surrounded by a clean green carpet of ground cover . geminate it with a atomic number 47 - leave fellow traveller for a frosty colour effect .
‘Little Spire’ Russian sage does not flop
Name : Salviayangii‘Little Spire ’
Size:24 to 30 inches tall and 18 to 24 inch wide
Conditions : Full sun ; dry to mean , well - drained grime
Look to adaptable, low-maintenance plants.Certain ground covers, perennials, trees, and shrubs are perfect for tying areas with steeper grades into a cohesive design.Photo: courtesy of Spring Lake Garden Design
Native range : Southwestern and central Asia
‘ Little Spire ’ Russian salvia offers a welcome dose of late summer blue for any well - drained spot with full Dominicus . This cultivar has the same silvery foliation and airy texture as the square species , just delivered in a diminished , sizable package . While masse of Russian sage do look quite sorcerous sprawling over each other on an embankment , if you are front for a more managed , erect rock garden element , ‘ Little Spire ’ is your good bet .
Sow no-mow turf as a planet-friendly lawn alternative
Slopes make everyday maintenance more hard . If you are tired of mowing treacherously steep territory , an easy and economical solvent is using a no - hayloft cum commixture to establish a works community that requires much less maintenance . Here are a few things to keep in mind .
Low, Spreading Shrubs Are Excellent for Erosion Control
‘Streibs Findling’ bearberry cotoneaster stays very low to the ground
Name : Cotoneasterdammeri‘Streibs Findling ’
Zones:5–8
Size:1 substructure tall and 6 feet wide
Photo: Michelle Gervais
condition : Full sun to fond shade ; well - run out soil
Native range : Central and southerly China
‘ Streibs Findling ’ bearberry cotoneaster is a tiny , densely branched evergreen plant that is perfect for wearing away control in a splosh rock garden . Layers of small , calendered , blue - greenish leaves create a flow primer cover that inhibits the increase of weeds . branch are adorned with abundant wizard - shaped bloodless flowers in spring and hopeful red-faced Berry in autumn . The habit is very low and nicely propagate , with individual plants reaching up to 6 foot in width . Adaptable to either full sun or partial spectre , ‘ Streibs Findling ’ is somewhat deer insubordinate and decidedly worth a effort .
Photo: Nancy J. Ondra
‘Nikko’ slender deutzia smothers itself in summer blossoms
Name : Deutziagracilis‘Nikko ’
Size:1 to 2 feet tall and 2 to 5 understructure across-the-board
Conditions : Full sun to partial shade ; average to jolly moist , well - drained dirt
Photo: Nancy J. Ondra
Native range : Japan
‘ Nikko ’ thin deutzia is a tardily - grow , broadly speaking mound shrub with an abundance of graceful , clear blanched flowers in early summer . This plant is ideal for siting next to a rock ‘n’ roll or low paries to mince and decide it . We also care grow it under paper birch rod trees ( Betula papyriferaand cvs . , Zones 2–7 ) ; in summertime the nippy efflorescence compound the gist of the trees ’ white bark , and in fall ‘ Nikko ’ has deep purple foliage that contrast nicely with the birch ’ golden leaves .
Southern bush honeysuckle has strong roots that will hold an embankment in place
Name : Diervillasessilifolia
Size:3 to 6 feet marvelous and wide
Native range : Southeastern United States
Photo: courtesy of Spring Lake Garden Design
Southern George Herbert Walker Bush honeysuckle , which is native to the southern Appalachian Mountains , is another fantabulous shrub for stabilise gradient . Although it scatter by underground rhizomes , it is not ungovernable or intrusive . This adaptable bush play fragrant , trumpet - shaped summertime peak that attract hummingbird , butterflies , and bee over a long period from June to August . The only maintenance it needs is a little oecumenical shaping and a tripping cutback of quondam stems after it finishes florescence .
‘Daub’s Frosted’ juniper has new growth that glows
Name : Juniperus×pfitzeriana‘Daub ’s Frosted ’
Zones:4–9
Size:1 to 2 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet across-the-board
Photo: Michelle Gervais
‘ Daub ’s Frosted ’ juniper is a great evergreen with blue - green needles that are ice with wan - gold unexampled growth at the branch tips . Some sources say it only raise 2 feet tall and 5 feet full , but we have a beauty on our hillside that has grown well beyond those dimensions . Photos of this plant do not do it justice ; it is really best appreciated in someone . Its arc offset produce in layer , with each one a bit longer than the one above , giving it an exceptionally graceful appearance descend down a slope . Our specimen looks bully every calendar month of the twelvemonth , and the deer have not touched it .
Trees Create Vertical Accents and Serve Up Seasonal Color
Heritage®river birch is stunning in every season
Name : Betula nigra‘Cully ’
Size:40 to 70 foot tall and 40 to 60 feet wide
condition : Full Dominicus to partial tint ; average to pixilated dirt
Photo: courtesy of Spring Lake Garden Design
Heritage ® river birch is a tight - growing cultivar of a darling native species with in effect disease and pest resistance . The exfoliating bark adds year - round of golf interest , especially in wintertime . Although river birch rod is often found along flow banks and flood plain in the wild , we have successfully grown several specimens on high , dry , sunny hillsides . It actually prefers lean dirt ; if the land is too fat , the woods becomes weak over meter . The glossy leave flutter attractively in the nothingness , and the tree has a soft gradualness that could enhance almost any design .
‘Taylor’ eastern red cedar has a narrow, vertical form
Name : Juniperus virginiana‘Taylor ’
Size:15 to 20 foot grandiloquent and 3 to 4 feet full
Conditions : Full sun ; modal to moist , well - drain soil
Photo: Jennifer Benner
‘ Taylor ’ eastern red cedar has a narrow-minded , columnlike habit that is quite useful for creating a strong perpendicular stress on a hill . If you like the appearance of Italian cypress ( Cupressus sempervirens , Zones 7–10 ) , this is a inhuman - intrepid alternative that could be used to achieve a similar essence in a gay position with safe melody circulation . The silverish depressed – unripe foliage is evergreen , providing secure year - round garden structure , and is also very cervid resistant .
‘Pendula Rosea’ weeping cherry adds movement to a hillside design
Name : Prunuspendula‘Pendula Rosea ’
Size:15 to 25 feet tall and all-embracing
Conditions : Full Dominicus to partial shade ; moist , fertile , well - drained soil
Photo: Daryl Beyers
‘ Pendula Rosea ’ tears cherry red is a splendid cultivar with classic , undivided pinkish flowers that are a welcome stack in spring . It is often top - transplant onto hardy rootstalk that put up the height postulate for this tree to properly display its weeping riding habit . The offset trail over each other in pile layers that gracefully derive one upon the other , create a sloped appearance . Be sure to watch for graft regress , and promptly prune out any nonweeping suckers that emerge . For a gardener who is creatively inclined , a squelch internet site can be full of potential . pick out your plants with upkeep , and you may make a hillside combination that lift your spirits each time you see it .
Use Plant Architecture to Make a Slope More Interesting
Hillside plantings should be easy to maintain , but they do n’t demand to be monotonous . Here are a few tips for enhancing the impression of a sloping site .
1. Vertical trees and shrubs create engaging visual dynamics
For focal points that take up attention and create motion on a steep grade , fastigiate plants will not let down .
2. Use weeping trees for a cascading effect
drop behind branches that gently draw the oculus downward combined with the uprightness of a slope create a lively visual tenseness .
3. Create tapestries of texture and color
Combine low - growing shrub and perennials that love the good drainage a slope provides . Heaths ( Ericaspp . and cvs . , Zones 5–8 ) and heathers ( Callunavulgarisand cvs . , Zones 5–8 ) prosper in these condition .
4. Consider terracing
If you need to enter the slope , a series of terrace with gradation in between can make a mound experience less gamey . With each terrace issue forth another chance for garden layer that are relatively prostrate . Retaining walls help with eroding and make the slope even more approachable .
5. For a refined look, try planting in drifts
An uninterrupted swathe of no - mow sens , scurvy - uprise shrub , or any other minimalistic ground cover will help oneself the slope conflate in quietly .
Catharine Cooke and Ian Gribble are the primary designers and owners of Spring Lake Garden Design in Sherman , Connecticut .
Sources
Photo: Nancy J. Ondra
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Photo: Nancy J. Ondra
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