Hi, I would appreciate any help or ideas in how I should go about adding a flower bed/planting something in the marked area. Its relativly steep, and I have no excperience in gardening.
I dont have any set plans as to what I want, the only thing I know, is that I dont want a lawn there. Located in western Norway if thats relevant
by ThomasIsDaMan
33 Comments
choose a low growing plant(which crawls on the ground)with some character like golden sedum. I think such plants would go well with the overall aesthetics.
Or you can plant along the steps to maintain symmetry.
Wandering Dude would look cool as well
Depending on what you want to plant you can just everything you normally would but on a slope. Otherwise, take some board and make some hollow steps and fill with soil so that you essentially a staircase of planter beds. Depending on how high and steep it is you might want to have some actual stairsteps every few meters so you can actually reach without risking hurting yourself
Make a slide for kids
Tiers
Creeping phlox would be great in there if it gets enough sun
Create some terraces with some landscape blocks. Dont garden on a slope.
Consider native, flowering, deep rooted perennials which will be pretty, nice for wildlife and prevent the slope from eroding.
A drift of ornamental grasses.
Build a wall where the gravel path is and level the ground or some plant something that grows nice on slopes
From someone with a sloped flowerbed, consider the height of the plants as you arrange your garden. I had some Walker’s Low Nepeta in front of some Becky Shasta Daisies that would have worked in a flat garden, but because of the slope, the Becky’s flowers were almost three and a half feet from the Walker’s- it just looked like a wall of green. I’m sticking with plants that are all max three feet now.
People have suggested terracing, which is a good idea, but you can also embed some stones or flat flagstones in there and plant some perennials around them. I would choose ones that are a little drought tolerant, as things planted on a slope don’t retain as much water. I’ve learned this myself, the hard way. I don’t know what native stone Norway has, or much about your native plants, but if something grows on the side of a mountain there, it may do well on a slope. Always plant things in groups, too or it will look sad.
Oh there’s so many possibilities here, how fun! Everyone has great ideas for you
It won’t be too easy but an idea:
1. Little terraces with really nice natural boulders where you can go sit together on sunny days. A little stairway made with smaller boulders to reach plateau by plateau…
That will be a little difficile, but possible with appropriate machines and know-how of course.
2. An intelligent irrigation system which needs to be well connected to the main water system in the building.
This will be a little difficile but possible as well.
Maybe a little artificial grindle to have more relaxation from time to time.
3. Just little areas behind the big boulders to sit on, just before the next boulder over that plateau.
Planting seasonal and rotating from season to season.
Important here: plants which will hold the earth by their roots they develop!
Maintenance on a regular basis with rotating planting from time to time.
Voilà, a little treasure island of recreation…
🫶🙏💚🌳🤗⛰️🪴🪻🌺🪷🌷🌿
Tiers but pay attention to water management.
Given how it slopes back towards the house and driveway, make sure you don’t direct excess water back towards the house.
I would hire this out to a landscaper.
That’s a good way to undermine your foundation. Might want to consider regrading it first, so that water (which normally goes down, and can make your wall buckle) flows away from your foundation and walls.
agreeing with everyone here. what we have right now on the slope is rosemary.
Erosion
🌲 I don’t know s***. but my first instinct is ornamental pine.
You’re going to have to terrace it to make it really work. And that would actually look really nice I think.
Terraced planter boxes
https://preview.redd.it/xw9pw5o3gd7g1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4e3494d0170b96a6c03c41bf29afd584e6188a44
I have a very sloped yard and steps leading down. I have a French drain at the top that drains out into the woods at the bottom. A few years ago we had so many heavy rains that my drain couldn’t keep up. My steps turned into a waterfall and eroded the side of the steps. I tried fixing it but nothing seemed to work. I finally put landscape rock to slow down the water and recently added Giant laripe plants. They have deep roots and really grip the soil. That seems to be working. Be careful . As soon as you remove any grass from that area the dirt will wash away immediately. So if you don’t need to change anything I would just leave it. Put some solar lights down the side or something. If you want plants use containers.
ETA I took another look at your photo and I do see you have rocks. The lariope would work or other deep rooted perennial ornamentals.
I’d suggest a strip of natives (or maybe even the whole side yard 😉). A mix of grasses/sedges and perennial flowers. The most effective thing would be to start the seeds in separate containers and install as plugs once they start to grow. There is an auger attachment for a drill that would make putting in plugs pretty easy. The deep roots of native plants will stabilize the hill as well
Agree with the many other comments, terraced beds are the way to go. However I understand if that is intimidating to a novice gardener. The easiest answer is probably shrubs. A selection of shrubs that are selected for size and growth rate ( you don’t want them overgrowing the sidewalk in a couple years) with a native ground over would probably be the easiest.
Matrix style plantings with native plants, include lots of ground cover/grasses/sedges! Don’t leave any exposed soil/mulch or it will erode away. Check out Prairie Up (youtube) for planting tips
No idea but maybe water loving plants at the bottom so the rain go there ?
Make a lavender bank, low maintenance doesn’t need feeding or watering, cut it once a year. polinators love it.
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I love the idea of terracing and boulders. The rest of the house is all right angles, so adding curved lines, or even a loose spiral around a small ornamental tree would look amazing.
Could be expensive but… having lived on a steep hillside:
1. Retaining wall all highest level of lot along the side of the house.
2. Perpendicular to that, some fairly big terraced planters…maybe 2-3 feet in height difference.
3. Plant shrubs that grow in your region. I used California lilac and beauty bush for the Pacific Northwest near the coast. They were lovely and attracted lots of bees. And both were evergreen in that region. For extra color I did hydrangeas, but they lose their leaves in winter and need more pruning.
Haha, måtte sjekke hvilken sub jeg var i fordi hele bildet bare hylte “Norsk!” Får svare på engelsk da:
Western Norway like the rainy all year ’round part, or the frozen icy snowy part? How is the sunlight?
I would probably go with some combination of bushes flowering at different times like rhododendron, roses and hortensia (hydrangea in English?), with hardy geraniums, epimedium (bispelue, masse forskjellige fine farger), helleborus if your climate allows (buy them online, so much more to choose from), and a peony or two. Strawberries (markjordbær) at the edges. If climate allows acers (flikelønn) are awesome.
Add a lot of bulbs come autumn, and you are done!
Recommend checking out some of the online garden shops for variety, like Spanne, Dinlokalegartner, Syverud, Garden living, hageglede, hagegal and Eides Stauder. If you want something in particular, Hesleberg is the place to email!
I would use ground cover plants
The knights who say Ni would say a shrubbery
I terraced my steep slope with boulders.