| Hillside landscaping is considered one of the | | | | Instead of creating terraces, another option is to |
| challenging jobs by landscape designers. the simple | | | | keep the sloped land as it is and create a "rock |
| reason for this is the problem of soil erosion and | | | | garden" on the slope. The main advantage of |
| inability to hold water that is necessary forhealthy | | | | using this system is that the cost of |
| growth of plants. | | | | constructingretaining wall gets reduced |
| Before we dig into the possibilities of creating a | | | | immediately. The rocks used in the rock garden |
| hillside landscape I want to bring to your attention | | | | are usually boulders that are used in wall |
| a very vital point that should not be overlooked. | | | | construction. |
| Unlike a plain land surface a hillside or a sloping land | | | | Since the rocks have a considerable "self weight" |
| if formed naturally should never be disturbed. The | | | | no extra foundation is needed and they help in |
| form of the land thus formed because of | | | | holding down the soil around them by prevention |
| accumulation of the ground elements such as soil, | | | | soils erosion. the space that remains around the |
| rocks or combination of these is the best possible | | | | rocks can be used to plant beautiful flowering |
| form in that particular natural environment. | | | | plants that will cover the slope entirely. this |
| Always remember that "nature" has its own rules | | | | creates an awesome design of rocks and flowers |
| and deep thinking behind every minutest details, | | | | (hard and soft) landscape.option #3 |
| as humans we must first learn to pay attention | | | | The third option is creating pocket trenches of |
| and respect to these details and help or | | | | slightly large trees at regular intervals horizontally |
| co-ordinatein the ecological process of any | | | | and vertically. the pocket trenches are nothing but |
| landscape form. True beauty and success of any | | | | plain terraces (similar to option #1) but not for |
| landscape comes by working in accordance with | | | | theentire length of the slope. The pocket trenches |
| natural growth cycle. of course we using our | | | | should be laid out that would be enough to hold a |
| creative brains can certainly create beautiful hillside | | | | tree in place even if the tree grows bigger in |
| landscapes. Here I am trying to give you 3 | | | | future. The roots of these trees will eventually |
| possible options. | | | | grow in all directions holding the soil in place and |
| Option #1 | | | | the plain trenches will co-operate in seeping of |
| Create Terraces in the for of plain lands. the | | | | water in the internal parts of the slope. |
| number of such terraces directly depend upon the | | | | The remaining portion of the slope can be |
| degree of slope. The plain land at various such | | | | creatively used using the rock garden ideas |
| levels above the ground level is supported by | | | | mentioned above with a combination of soft and |
| retaining wallsconstructed in stones. Arrangement | | | | hard landscaping. |
| to drip of water from the portion of soil the wall | | | | I hope these ideas will help to develop a spark of |
| supports must be done at the time of | | | | imagination in your mind and you will be able to |
| construction. | | | | come up with more ideas to landscape a hillside. |
| Option #2 | | | | |