Hello all! There is an area of my yard that slopes down into a fence. Beyond the fence is basically a no-man's land hill that is beyond my property anyway. This area is basically useless for any sort of family activity or playtime. I am so new to all of this. If this was your area, what would you consider doing? I thought of rocks due to the area being connected to the "wildness" just over the fence. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
by PeacockofRivia
9 Comments
Look for a mix of native shrubs … will help control erosion on the hillside
Could simply plant several rows of shrubs to fill the space and you’ve got the pines on the other side to fill it out. Mow the lawn and note where slope is noticeable and there’s your planting bed. Curve the line gracefully so it’s easy to mow and you probably could plant shorter plants at the front. You get bonus points for going with natives you won’t have to water once established which may also grow fewer weeds and attract wildlife. See Doug Tallamy’s keystone plants and Home Grown National Park for inspiration.
Could put in an orchard or vineyard back there. Look at how trails are created and do that to make level areas to walk on.
Either way I suspect the kids will love it back there. No good for swings or soccer and even a sandbox would be difficult but forts and hideouts under shrubs, making toys out of bits of leaves and flowers and so on are great. I spent a good bit of my time outdoors as a kid on a peach tree branch that was maybe 2′ off the ground. Except when fruiting, stinky and wasps…
You’ll want something to control soil erosion for sure, as it slopes downhill.
Native shrubs and grasses in particular will be beneficial with the roots spreading and anchoring the soil, plus providing native habitat and natural cover for birds and wildlife. These can be dug in to the ground as is, with just a light amount of compost and water them in well. Be sure to site them back from the fence a good amount (at least 3ft), as they will likely spread.
If I were doing it, I would stagger those bushes and taller grasses and let them do their thing, and in front of them/in between all the way up the slope I would put in some native perennial wildflowers and a few lower growing grasses, who also do a GREAT job of securing soils….their roots go deep. If you like a jumble-y prairie mix, you can sheet mulch or just turn up the soil, amend as needed and then just scatter seed. If you like a planned, purposeful garden, you can plot out and plant established plants and grasses (or intentionally plant the seeds in designated areas). Check with eco-friendly sites that cater to your area; many offer ‘maps’, so all you have to do is source the plants and lay things out according to the map and dig them in!
You could also try building some terraced retaining walls, especially if you have some leftover bricks/tiles/stones lying around
An easy to grow solution would be a [native grass seed mix](https://www.americanmeadows.com/category/grass-and-groundcover-seeds/native-grass-seed) or a [native wildflower mix](https://www.americanmeadows.com/category/wildflower-seeds/wildflower-mix/native-regional-wildflower-seed-mixes)! Or… both! (if you combine, we usually recommend 10% grass seed to 90% wildflower seed)
Plus planting on a slope! [https://www.americanmeadows.com/content/wildflowers/inspiration/slope-planting-wildflowers](https://www.americanmeadows.com/content/wildflowers/inspiration/slope-planting-wildflowers)
If you tell me your state, how much sun the area gets, and soil moisture I might be able to suggest some good native shrubs for the area. My front yard has a 45° slope that is being held together by various shrubs and trees
a fruiting tree and some shrubs
Fruit Tree + some native shrubs would be cool combo
Swale!