Gardening.ie | Planting on steep slopes

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Planting on steep slopes

Out of all the questions that I’m asked about gardening problems, the most frequently is how to plant up a steep slope.

A lot of housing sites, are formed by excavating the side of a hillside and when the site has been levelled for the building, the owners are sometimes left with a large bank, usually to the rear of the property. In extreme circumstances, the bank is nearly all solid rock. Generally when the architects design the back of the site, they will recommend a retaining wall to keep the mud bank from sliding it’s way into the back door.

I have no doubt this is a very effective method, but the result is usually a bare expanse of very poor soil or rock sloping up from the top of the wall. The idea of building out a raised patio works sometimes but I will make my apologies now by saying there are no easy answers to this problem, what can be done with this sort of area largely depends on some key points.

How far is the bank from the house?

If the steep bank is close to the house then large shrubs shouldn’t be used as this will block off a lot of the light. Groundcover plants will be more suitable.

Which way does the bank face?

This will be an important factor when choosing plants for shade or sun. (Remember the house could shade even a south-facing bank)

What is the soil and drainage like?

If the soil is poor or the ground is very wet, this will limit the amount of plants you can choose for the site. The soil and drainage could be improved to enable a wider choice of plants to be used.

If the slope isn’t very steep:

Then a ground cover mesh could be used and this could be gravelled or wood bark used. The area could even be grassed if you can get the mower on it.

If the slope is very steep:

Then fast growing groundcover plants could be used to hold the soil in place. The slope could benefit by using rockery stones or even to tier the area into different levels using bricks or wood. This again will stop soil erosion.

The biggest problem these banks pose, especially while they are establishing, is maintenance. Access is usually only achieved by fearless people with the use of a rope and tackle who have no fear of falling from high places! So this has to be taken into serious consideration before any work is carried out.

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