Challenging Gardens: Setting the scene for a sloping garden

A good garden designer will not be put off by the complications of multi-level, sloping gardens. Andy and the Haywood Landscapes team regularly roll up their sleeves and rise to the challenges of a sloping garden design. The trick is to work with the natural flow of an outdoor space. No garden is spirit-level flat, so we work with nature, not against it. Garden design on a whole other level…

Part One: Creative garden designs for slopes and levels

Part one of our Challenging Gardens blog looks at the lay of the land and what else to consider when dealing with a sloping garden.

Setting your sites on a multi-level garden

From the earliest site visit and survey, Haywood Landscapes will be looking for the best options to achieve your ultimate garden endgame. With a realistic budget and costings to match, you need not be limited by slopes, dips and level changes.

 

 

Retain your terrain

Terracing a sloping garden area can make it more manageable, more useable and more attractive, so embrace your awkward incline. Your retaining structures are key to this. Think durability and strength, think visual appearance. Also, what is your style - traditional or contemporary? Your budget may also inform your options and choices.

All these things will inform your choice of materials: Timber and sleepers have a softer, more natural appearance. Their lifespan can be lengthened by choosing superior quality and the best preservative treatment.

Invest in stone, brick and concrete retaining walls for best durability. Choose your preferred exterior finish – porcelain for contemporary sleek lines and lustres; render for a more classic, Mediterranean or a clean, modern effect; rustic brick or rockwork for a more natural rural style.

 

 

Soil and Structure for Drainage

Beautiful sloping landscape with a muddy quagmire at its foot every time there is a downpour? No thanks. Drainage should be high on the initial garden design agenda. Your Haywood Landscape design and build specialist will assess the soil and incorporate appropriate drainage solutions. This may involve relieving compaction, improving soil structure or installing an engineered drainage system. Soil structure, texture and pH (acid or alkaline soil) will affect plant choice, so your planting plan will need to take that into consideration too.

 

 

Plan with Purpose

Creating distinct spaces from level to level or a more blended natural flow, we will help define movement through your sloping landscape – whether for your eyeline or physical pathways up and down your garden. Incorporating planting, lawns, steps, banks, and water and lighting we can create zones and terraces which will realise the potential of your ‘problem’ slope and transform it into a visual delight.

 

Haywood Landscapes Sloping Gardens and Challenging Landscapes

Get in touch with Haywood Landscapes today to discuss your next garden project across Kent and the South East. Contact us here, or call us on 01227 733447 for more information.