Hillside Landscaping Tips

What some homeowners would see as deficits: a sloped and shady backyard, Atlanta homeowners Tom Fulkerson and Robert Dick have turned into assets, creating a tranquil, restful escape from busy city life. Their Atlanta garden is a blend of tradition and quirkiness with a glade of 'Knock Out' roses and a butterfly bush balanced with charming details like a koi pond and a terra-cotta figure nicknamed Zeus surveying the garden from his perch on a brick wall.

At the base of the hill gardener Tom Fulkerson has created a downy carpet of pine straw that he uses to amend the soil and create the sensation of an outdoor room.

Homeowner Tom Fulkerson tends his backyard garden. Growing up in Kentucky, he picked up much of his garden wisdom from an elderly neighbor.

Homeowners Tom and Robert enjoy some downtime on the front porch of their 1923 brick bungalow one of the hundreds of homes with a National Registrar of Historic Places designation in this cozy Atlanta neighborhood.