We do not want a retaining wall, but will be bringing in boulders this winter and begin to hardscape & remove Bermuda grass (ugh) during the cold months.
Our goal is water conservation, pollinator plants, native trees/shrubs, and aesthetically natural.
We are struggling on settling on a โlookโ. Challenges: slope & faces west (intense afternoon sun).
Any ideas are appreciated.
by adam5280
17 Comments
No idea but just wanted to say that your home is beautiful
Maybe you’ve already arranged to get the stones, but have you thought about terraced beds? Step up the slope in 2′ or 3′ beds and put the tallest plants in the top bed and the shortest at the bottom to make it seem even higher (but for practicality, also to keep the big stuff from bothering the sidewalk.
The natives are the right step both for pollinators and for water conservation. It looks like you’ve got a very nice canvas there to work on.
If you haven’t already – I recommend posting this on
r/nativeplantgardening
They will have lots of ideas and resources for you!
Keep it simple and functional. Those slopes would be great for some native grasses mixed with other slope tolerant natives, and maybe some large rocks to prevent erosion. Keep the flat part (or some of it) as a little walking path. Convert grass to clover or lay down some pavers.
A rock garden with more conifers. Youโre off to a great start.
For rock ideas try r/drystonewalling. My yard was terraced in the 1890โs but the lowest wall was falling down. I rebuilt it by hand, with hand tools, using tips from the aforementioned sub and YouTube. My stones weighed 100-200 lbs each. (Dry means no mortar, btw.) Also, love your house.
You have a perfect size front yard (not too big) to create something beautiful, despite the change of grade. You’ll find lots of similar front yards that look good with no lawn in this collection: [https://www.flickr.com/photos/lawnlessfrontyards/albums/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/lawnlessfrontyards/albums/)
I love your house, too! So I KNOW you’ll create a great-looking garden.
Finally! A mission statement that is entirely matched with this subs description!
Good luck! Repost on r/permaculture
I would terrace these areas with stone/boulders with native perennial beds for a natural welcoming entrance.
[https://imgur.com/a/ESEu8pA](https://imgur.com/a/ESEu8pA)
It doesn’t necessarily need a bunch of hardscape. It would be fine as it, just plant mostly low maintenance natives and maybe sprinkle in some things you love that might be a little more needy.
A trampoline!
Uh, I think you live really near me. I am near MRM. Iโm working on the same thing if you want to share seeds and ideas back and forth.
If your house is where I think it is, just drive around the neighborhood. Donโt want to call out the neighborhood for privacy sake. Been noticing a significant uptick of no lawn in that neighborhood. There was a house across the street from the park that had its entire lawn covered in plastic over the summer. If I remember correctly, their lot was very similar to yours. Across the prairie nursery is very close to- again if youโre located where I think – and the owner is great and would likely have tons of ideas.
Keep some pumpkins out year round lol, lean into the spooky factor
Also in Tulsa with a west facing yard. We have had good success with abelias, yucca, catmint, rosemary, lavender, weigela, Mexican feather grass, gold star juniper, adagio pampas grass. We never water any of it and it thrives! Southwood can definitely help you out picking some plants.
Hairy vetch is pretty on hillsโฆ.