PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS
- Evaluate your slope. Determine the grade of your hillside, whether it’s slight, medium or steep. ...
- Analyze the soil. The type of soil will affect how well the slope drains and how much erosion might occur. ...
- Consider drainage. ...
- Determine access. ...
- Consult a professional. ...
Full Answer
How can I make a hillside more stable?
Most hillsides can be made relatively stable with plants . A planting can stop nearly all erosion and hillside movement in a landscape. Almost. The only way of stabilizing a slope better than plants is a reinforced retaining wall that you need to take a mortgage out to put up ($50,000-100,000 is common).
How do you protect a hillside from erosion?
Try combining methods such as erosion control netting with varied planting and mulching. You can use plants with various root depths to make garden beds on hillside terraces and accent the terraced slope with a dry creek bed at the base. Boulders and stones pair well with plants and mulch to help prevent erosion.
How do you keep water from flowing down a hill?
Water drains down the hillside and flows along a channel at the base of the slope, preventing it from flooding your yard, patio or flower beds at the bottom of the hill. 4. Set boulders and medium to large rocks in the hillside to help with drainage.
How do you water a hillside garden?
Hillside garden watering is especially important in areas with full sun and during dry spells. In order for water to deeply saturate the ground and reach plant roots, proper irrigation is essential. When it comes to irrigating a hill, drip irrigation or soaker hoses are probably your best choices.
How to tame a hillside?
What to do with a hillside that is covered in rocks?
What are some plants that grow on a hillside?
What shrubs are good for erosion?
How to make a hillside rock garden look natural?
What perennials can fill in rocky ledges?
What are the advantages of a hillside?
See 2 more
How do you maintain hillside?
Most hillsides can be made relatively stable with plants . The planting should be a mix of groundcover, shrubs, trees, and perennials with the areas between plants covered with mulch or boulders. A mix of plants and vegetation layers ensure that when it rains, the force of the water hitting the ground is deflected.
How do you keep a hillside from eroding?
Techniques for steep slopes include wood retaining walls, interlocking concrete blocks, rock retaining walls, riprap (loose rock) areas, and terracing. If you choose wood, make sure the wood is treated with a wood preservative to prevent rotting.
What do you do with a hillside?
Here are 10 solid ideas for landscaping a sloping, or even a downright hilly, backyard.Break Out in Tiers. 1/11. ... Build Some Stairs. 2/11. ... Make a Natural Staircase. 3/11. ... Design a Waterfall. 4/11. ... Lay a Winding Path. 5/11. ... Erect a Retaining Wall. 6/11. ... Cultivate a Rock Garden. 7/11. ... Devise a Destination Fire Pit. 8/11.More items...
How do I strengthen my hillside?
Try combining methods such as erosion control netting with varied planting and mulching. You can use plants with various root depths to make garden beds on hillside terraces and accent the terraced slope with a dry creek bed at the base. Boulders and stones pair well with plants and mulch to help prevent erosion.
What is the best ground cover for hillsides?
Ground Cover Plants for a HillsideCotoneaster – a fast growing evergreen that lives for years and requires little care. ... Junipers – several low growing varieties that make great ground cover for a hill. ... Roses – several low spreading varieties out there as well as ever-blooming shrub roses.More items...•
Does gravel stop erosion?
Using gravel or small stone enables the water to flow through them slower, allowing the soil to absorb more water over time and limiting runoff. This also applies to hill slopes, as any gravel or stone will further prevent long-term erosion and possible landslides.
How can I landscape my hillside cheap?
4 Cost-Effective Landscape Design Ideas for a SlopeInstall Groundcover Plants.Build a Tiered Retaining Wall.Create a Natural Rock Garden.Build Stairs or a Pathway.Tackle Your Slope in Sections.
How do you stabilize loose soil on a slope?
Strengthening the Surface. One of the most effective -- and attractive -- ways to stabilize loose soil is through plants. Plants' roots stabilize the soil from below, while vegetation above the ground prevents erosion. Drought-resistant plants with spreading, fibrous root systems work well.
How do you hold soil on a slope?
Mulch is a good choice if your slope is less than 33 percent, and the right mulch can help to keep soil in place on a gentle slope with or without plants. Use at least 3 inches of mulch that resists washing or blowing away during a rainfall or high winds.
How do you keep dirt from washing down hills?
1:413:51How to Control Erosion - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd green manure to learn more about harnessing the power of cover cropping for landscape situationsMoreAnd green manure to learn more about harnessing the power of cover cropping for landscape situations we have several seed mixes that are specially formulated to prevent erosion.
How do you add soil to a hill slope?
1:202:47How to Add Soil to a Hill Slope - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipUsing a well draining material like sand or gravel against the stones to allow water movement fillMoreUsing a well draining material like sand or gravel against the stones to allow water movement fill the rest with purchased soil which drains well and compacts less than garden soil.
What is the best mulch for steep slopes?
Shredded bark is one of the best mulch types to use on slopes, and it breaks down relatively slowly.
How to safely mow a steep hillside?
To safely mow a steep hillside, assess the hill and find hidden hazards and drop offs. Use a push mower horizontally along the slope and set the mower deck high. Wear shoes with traction and never mow wet grass. If you can’t mow safely, replace grass with no-mow alternatives, meadowscape, or turn into terraced gardens.
What to use for steep slope?
If the slope is steeper, use a push mower. A mower with a small deck will be lighter and easier to handle. Check the manual to see what the maximum slope grade a mower can handle. (Manufacturers know this stuff!)
What Kind of Mower Should I Use on a Hill?
It’s really important to use the right mower when mowing a hill. Riding mowers are incredibly dangerous because they’re off-balance and likely to roll over, with you underneath it. Instead, use a push mower, whether a reel or rotary mower. A battery-powered or push reel mower with a small deck is best as it’ll be a lot lighter and easier to maneuver.
How to avoid a mower falling on you?
Instead, mow along the slope so that neither you nor the mower is below. That way, if you slip, at least the mower will not fall on you.
How to go halfway between a terraced garden and meadow slope?
Going halfway between a terraced garden and meadow slope by adding mini-terraces for a few gardens and a path halfway up the hill to help with access.
Is it dangerous to push a lawn mower down a slope?
If you slipped on the incline (grass is slippery! Grass cuttings are slippery! Slopes are slippery! Together, they’re incredibly slippery!), that mower will fall back toward you with the blades still running. Yikes!
Can a Hill Be Too Steep to Mow?
Yes, a hill can be too steep to mow. The steeper the hill, the more dangerous it becomes to mow. A hill that’s steeper than 22 degrees can only be mowed safely with a push mower, but as the steepness increases, it’ll become more and more difficult. Your common sense is the overriding factor. If you feel like the mower is wobbling too much, has lots of hidden pits or drop offs, or you don’t feel safe mowing it, then it’s too steep.
What is the best way to water a hillside garden?
In order for water to deeply saturate the ground and reach plant roots, proper irrigation is essential. When it comes to irrigating a hill , drip irrigation or soaker hoses are probably your best choices.
Can you build a water well on a hillside?
For instance, water wells could be built into the hillside garden. These should be dug on the downhill side of plants. Water or rainfall can then fill up the wells and slowly soak into the ground over time. This is also a good way to reduce problems with runoff. Since the degree of slope affects the irrigation method, you may also want to consider how the garden is laid out.
What is the best way to control erosion?
Plastic. Plastic is for bags, soda bottles, and children's toys. If you stuck those items on the hillside they would be about as attractive and effective for erosion control. (After a few years the plastic 'weed barrier', 'mulch' or 'erosion matting' has curled and is sticking up in amongst the weeds.)
What happens to slopes after a fire?
Seeding slopes after a fire or grading does nothing but destroy the ecosystem for perpetuity. Bare, grass-covered or ice plant-covered slopes commonly load up to field capacity (and beyond), while slopes covered with a mix of native shrubs and trees and perennials rarely do (Patric).
Why is mulch important?
The type of mulch, placed on top of the ground, is very important in the management of a slope susceptible to erosion. See the mulch page for appropriate types of mulch to us e. If you use the wrong type of mulch the plants will not grow very well, weeds could be introduced, and erosion could be increased!
How to make a jute plant?
If you combine the jute with mulch it can be used to hold a steeper slope than either can hold by themselves. Put down about one inch of mulch, (shredded redwood, cedar, oak, or pine), roll out the jute and pin it down, cover jute again with another one inch of shredded mulch. Make sure you do a FULL planting for this to work. Pop the plant out of its gallon container, and set it carefully to the side. Cut the jute, carefully fill the empty pot with dirt from the hole you dig. Pull the mulch and jute to the side. Set your plant into the hole you made, then put the jute and mulch back into place. Haul the extra dirt away.
How to make a slope into a storm drain?
The resulting steeper slopes can be readily accessed from the path below. Make sure you account for runoff across the slope on the path. The path can become a storm drain if it runs across the slope at an angle. That is ok, as long as you put some rocks and boulders along the inside of the path to slow the water and stop erosion as the water blasts across the slope in a down pour.
What is the goal of feeding runoff off a slope onto your neighbor's slope?
The goal is to control the runoff in a way that does not cause further problems. Feeding the runoff off a slope onto your neighbor's slope is not drainage or damage control, it's a lawsuit.
Why aren't ice plants appropriate for erosion?
These plants are not appropriate to control erosion on a slope because 1) they are alien plants and not part of our natural plant community, 2) they have very shallow roots. 3) they are heavy.
Why Is It So Important To Prevent Erosion On A Hillside?
Soil erosion is the steady and gradual loss of soil to natural elements like wind and rain. In the aftermath of a rainstorm, soil run-off jams up important channels and exposes soil to degradation. When you add gravity to the mix, the harmful effects of erosion occur that much quicker. Soil erosion affects more than your immediate property — it can spell trouble for the entire area.
How to stop erosion on a hill?
A compact and elegant solution to this is to terrace your hill. Using homegrown and natural materials, you can put together a series of stages or “terraces” that break up your slope and act as plateaus. This stops run-off from just flowing straight down a hill.
What happens if you don't protect your soil from erosion?
If residential properties sitting on a hillside or slope don’t take steps to protect their soil from erosion, the effects will resound throughout their neighborhood: A loss of nutrients that run off after a rainstorm. An increase in flooding because of clogged waterways. A degradation in local air quality because of exposed soils.
What can you do with stacked terraces?
You can then use these stacked terraces or plateaus to plant cover crops and seeds intended to hold the soil together, compact it, and contribute its nutrient content.
Why is sandy soil more likely to run off than clay soil?
Keep in mind that sandy soils are more likely to run-off than soils with a clay make-up because the particles in sandy soils are looser. Drainage: To measure the drainage on a hillside, you can dig a hole and fill it with water then check back in an hour or two. If there’s no water remaining, natural drainage is good.
What to do if your hose is on the other side of your property?
If your hose is on the other side of your property, for example, you’ll need to find a way to water your plantings. Based on an assessment of these factors, you might find that you’ll need to work with a landscaper or construction specialist. These factors are also a good checkpoint though.
Why is a water line temporary?
It’s temporary because it simply diverts the flow of the water, but doesn’t necessarily seal water off from your property.
How to prevent erosion on hillside?
You can use plants with various root depths to make garden beds on hillside terraces and accent the terraced slope with a dry creek bed at the base. Boulders and stones pair well with plants and mulch to help prevent erosion.
How to cover bare soil on hillsides?
1. Cover bare soil on hillsides with erosion-control netting, which comes in rolls that you simply unroll from top to bottom and pin in place with stakes. The netting has open spaces through which you can sow seed; you can also cut holes for planting transplants.
How to level a slope?
Break the steep slope into several level terraces supported with retaining walls made from stone or landscape timbers stacked no more than 3 feet high. Build a 3-foot retaining wall at the base of the slope, cut into the hillside above the first wall, to create a level platform to the desired depth. Build the second retaining wall when you achieve the desired depth of the level platform and level off the soil at the top of the second retaining wall. Repeat this pattern up to the top of the slope. Think of terracing a slope as building a set of stairs -- the walls are the same as stair risers, while the level terraces are similar to stair treads. The level spaces allow water to drain more easily into the soil without washing the soil downhill. This might require a professional landscape contractor if you have a very steep slope.
How to make a hill look natural?
Set boulders and medium to large rocks in the hillside to help with drainage. Bury the lower one-third to one-half of the stones to hold them in place and make them appear natural to the hill . The rocks can also create pockets for planting so new plants don't wash down the hill.
How to make a creek bed?
Turn a small slope into a dry creek bed that fills up with water and channels it to a safe deposit zone, such as a natural swale or a storm drain. Set larger stones buried halfway in the soil and fill in the empty spaces with gradually smaller stones, finishing with gravel such as pea gravel or 3/4-inch minus gravel to fill in the small spaces between stones. Water drains down the hillside and flows along a channel at the base of the slope, preventing it from flooding your yard, patio or flower beds at the bottom of the hill.
How to tame a hillside?
Stone walls are a classic way to terrace and tame a hillside. Although they are a lot of work initially, once they are in place, you have a structure that is both functional and attractive. Stone walls can create planting areas wide enough to work in and around and they even look good on their own, requiring very little fanfare from the plants contained in them. Since stone tends to heat up early in the spring and hold heat at night, you are creating a microclimate that will allow you to grow plants that would not survive in other areas of your yard.
What to do with a hillside that is covered in rocks?
If your hillside is basically scree or naturally covered in rocks, consider yourself lucky. You can create a unique alpine garden that will draw the eye upward. Follow this gardener's lead and use the existing rocks, but reposition them. Larger slabs are used as steps and platforms. She also makes liberal use of hypertufa or artificial limestone, which blends in beautifully with the natural stone. Finally, pea gravel is used as a mulch, to prevent runoff and create a unifying color palette.
What are some plants that grow on a hillside?
They limbed up the trees, to create a clearer view, and underplanted with true woodland plants such as maidenhair ferns ( Adiantum) and mayapples, as well as tough workhorses like hostas and foamflower ( Tiarella ). The effect is almost a fairytale setting that sets the house as a destination.
What shrubs are good for erosion?
And shrubs are excellent for controlling erosion. Summersweet ( Clethra alnifolia), California Lilac ( Ceanothus ), and prostrate rosemary make good choices. Continue to 11 of 12 below. 11 of 12.
How to make a hillside rock garden look natural?
This gardener managed to make his hillside rock garden look natural by allowing the rocks to tumble and land where they may. As the plants fill in, it looks as though the whole garden evolved on its own. There are some weeding and maintenance involved in the early years, but it becomes less as the plants spread out.
What perennials can fill in rocky ledges?
Large evergreens give the planting weight and self-sowing perennials, like corydalis, are allowed to fill in where they will and soften the rocky ledge.
What are the advantages of a hillside?
However, hillsides also have some built-in advantages. You have an instant view and it is easy to create a dynamic sense of movement with plants positioned on a hill. This resourceful gardener used the contrasting plant textures of the conical evergreens, spiky flowers, flowing ornamental grasses and rounded shrubs to animate the garden. The scene is kept moving by a river of silver lamb's ear that runs the length of the bed.
