In East Renfrewshire many of our homes have been built on a hilly landscape. As a result, many gardens are sloped – posing the question that many buyers have – ‘What are the options and what are the associated costs?’.
If your garden is on a slope, there are various options available to you to make the space work to your advantage. If you have great views over the Campsies or cityscape, then a sloping garden could help you enjoy them more if you can access the top section easily. Here are some ideas to explore:
Layering
One of the simplest ways to enjoy a sloped garden – and cheaper than completely levelling the space – is layering the space with terraces or rockeries. By using various green in the planting, you can disguise the steep sides of the hillside and you can lead the eye with winding paths and steps. Terraced areas can be adapted with decked or stone patios for alfresco dining, giving you a different aspect when looking up or down and across. Wide steps can also minimise the severity of the slope and will connect different areas, making each part distinct, with a different purpose. Use simple planting such as low hedging in-between the levels, making the whole area look wider.
Maintenance
Although a sloped garden can be difficult in terms of planting due to difficulties in access, it may also suffer from soil erosion and water run-off. By creating steps up with planted banks, it can anchor the soil with roots. By pegging coarse matting to a slope and planting through it, you can help to establish the plants in the correct place and provide good consolidation.
Adding walls
When installing retaining walls, it’s essential that you consult a specialist structural engineer if the area is particularly steep as you may need to comply with regulations as high walls and steps can be hazardous if not installed correctly. Good drainage is essential otherwise you could end up with a collection of dirty water at the bottom.
The use of retaining walls is a popular way of making the most of the space. If the area is very steep, you may need to consult with a specialist structural engineers to comply with safety regulations.
Styling your garden
Consider the look you are aiming for as well as your budget. Popular choices are Cor-Ten steel for a sleek, modern look, reclaimed railway sleepers or quarried natural stone for a rustic style, and rendered concrete blocks painted white for a Mediterranean feel.
A sloping garden is an ideal way to introduce a water feature such as a stream, pond, or fountain into your garden. If you decide on a stream, it will require a large pump to push water up to the top of the outlet pipe and will enable you to have a small wildlife pond at the bottom to house the pump.
Plants
A sloping garden gives you the opportunity to plant self-seeding plants that will cascade. You can also create a rockery on a slope with alpine plants that will thrive and look more beautiful over time.
Lighting
By using lighting in your garden, it will not only look dramatic, its practical too. Water features or streams, paved areas, steps, rocks, trees and plants look incredible when lit up and it will prevent people falling over when navigating steps, especially in the winter months. Solar lights are cost-effective, easy to install and less likely to scare wildlife away.