Two landscaping tips for people with sloped gardens

13 July 2019
 Categories: , Blog

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If your outdoor space is comprised primarily of sloped ground, here are some landscaping tips that should enable you to create a healthy and beautiful garden on this type of terrain.

Use soil stabilisation products if you're concerned about erosion occurring

One of the biggest problems you are likely to face when performing any type of landscaping work on sloped soil is that this soil will be prone to erosion. This is simply because on a steep gradient the combination of gravity and wind will lead to the soil near the top of the slope loosening and rolling downward, instead of staying in place like it would if it were positioned on a flat landscape. This erosion can then result in the exposure of the roots of the shrubs and flowers that were planted in that soil, which can then lead to them being damaged and the plants dying.

To reduce the risk of this happening, it may be worth using some bioganics erosion control or soil stabilisation products. These are made up of special types of fibres that bind to the soil on which they are placed. After this binding process occurs, the soil becomes better able to stay secured in place, even when it is exposed to the combined forces of gravity and strong winds. This stabilisation of the soil should, in turn, protect the roots of the plants that are placed in it from damage and allow those plants to stay alive and healthy for as long as possible.

Take preventative action to minimise watering problems

Another issue that you are likely to experience if you plant anything in a sloped piece of soil is that any water that you sprinkle onto the plants that are positioned close to the top of the gradient will trickle downward before the roots of these plants have a chance to absorb it. This will then increase the risk of the plants becoming dehydrated and dying.

There are a couple of solutions to this landscaping-related conundrum. The first is to use specific types of plants that only require small amounts of water and can survive without it for extended periods. Drought-tolerant plants such as rosemary and most succulents will do well in a sloped garden where the soil lacks the ability to retain a lot of water.

The second step you can take is to create 'shelves' of soil along the slope, in front of each row of plants that you put in the soil. When you then pour water over a particular row, the soil 'shelf' directly in front of it should stop all of the water from immediately trickling down the slope. This should then ensure that the roots of these plants have enough time to absorb the quantities of water that they need to survive.