Gardening on a slope can be a daunting task due to the challenges of navigation and potential soil erosion. Stabilizing your hillside with contour rows, terraces, or raised beds can prevent water runoff and maintain soil integrity. Despite the difficulties, hillsides offer unique benefits like a built-in view and the opportunity to create visually dynamic landscapes with diverse plant textures. For budget-friendly options, use groundcovers to form a lush green backdrop and select flowers that thrive on slopes, such as sedum, rock cress, and creeping phlox.

Retaining Your Sloped Garden

Retaining walls are how you keep dirt from washing away on a slope. Soil erosion is bound to happen with water and gravity doing the dirty work. But you can add wood, rock, or concrete block to make a retaining wall to hold the soil in place. You can also stagger retaining walls to build a tiered garden on a slope.

Consider installing a retaining wall if you have a steep slope of over 50% or 45 degrees. When installing any retaining wall, add a good drainage system behind the wall to prevent the wall from cracking or collapsing.