Make a Dynamic Statement With Multilevel Gardening

Sloping sites can create beautiful spaces full of movement and drama. Working a plan around the site's natural slope allows for a more organic effect, while terraces offer structure and shape for formal and contemporary designs.

Excerpted from Garden Design
Filed under: Materials and Supplies

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Natural Hillside

The best advice when dealing with a hillside garden is to change a natural slope as little as possible. The soil is likely to be shallow and held together by existing vegetation. Drainage will be complex; removing the native plant material - and their soil-binding roots - may result in erosion and landslides. Try to embrace the unique contours of the landscape and make small, thoughtful changes over time rather than big moves all at once.

Here, uneven, weathered stone steps make for romance and wonder through a secluded and naturalistic woodland.