Hill - A thorn in my side

12 years ago

I have a 50 w x 15 L slope front yard. I would like to have a perennial garden, that butterflies and Birds can enjoy without me having to be in there a lot. I'd like some evergreens in there for winter interest . How do I lay it out? What should I put on either end of the slope and what is good focal point for the top, so that I don't have to stare at my neighbors homes/cars. See Picture

I have a list of things Id like to see (butterfly bush, Black Eyed Susans, Blue Festica grass, daylilys, coneflower, daisies, purple love grass and of course phlox) Im on the hunt for rocks, i just don't wanna pay 400 for a 1/2 of pallet. I also have some hostas that are popping up, and some tickseed that I might use. I was thinking of creating a small gravel path through the garden, so that when I have to get in there it could be accessed easily. Im hoping to put the plants that need pruning down near the bottom to get to easily. How many plants of each would I need? What other plants and how many?

What are your thoughts on this. I am fairly new to gardening, there were junipers there that the moles chomped through, and last year there were so many weeds, which is why I put the tarp down on easter, because I was afraid with the summer like spring that I would be in lots of trouble.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hill - a thorn in my side

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Comments (5)

tnjnm07
Original Author
12 years ago
BTW, its in full sun, the picture is me standing at my front door facing south. I understand that terracing would be really lovely, but extremely costly - so not really an option.
designoline6
12 years ago
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tivoli, I used to live on Long Island, last time I was up there, I did see a few crepe myrtles. It wasn't bloom time, so I don't know how well they bloomed, but if you put them in full sun, they should do ok. Down here in North Georgia, I am still in zone 7 believe it or not. We just have longer hotter summers. I would just think carefully about what you plant on the hill. I have a hill in my yard and I've pretty much let it go wild. I planted pine trees and a few redbuds towards the front. In the very front, where it's level, I put in a butterfly garden. I don't have anything up there that needs watering (except when the trees were first planted) fertilizing or spraying. It's tough to do that on a hill, it's hell on your knees, believe me. You could try to put some stone steps in the hill to help you get up and down, I'm condisering that for my hill. Some cascading roses towards the front over the wall would look fantastic.
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We finished a house in the Rocky Mountains (snowy, similar to your situation) on an uphill lot. We bought the lot years ago, and based our decision on things like orientation, view, the other lot choices and a trail running along the back of the lot (which was a plus for us). We might have purchased a downhill lot if it had all of the other features that we wanted. What we like, now, about an uphill lot. Our slope is roughly the same as the lot you're looking at - doesn't seem like much until you want to put a house on it. Our driveway has a slope, of course, but it isn't very steep. It gets snow buildup because of the orientation, but not icy and we didn't have any issues this winter with difficulty in getting up the drive. We have a ground-level entrance, which is much better in terms of snow buildup and shoveling outdoor stairs in the winter. Inside, a stairway (half a level, a turn, then another half level) goes from the entry up to the main level of the house. So yes, we have to bring groceries up stairs, but at least they're inside. We have a great outdoor space out back that's dug a bit into the hillside (about 2 feet or so), with hot tub, grill, tables and chairs, lounge chairs, etc. The view out back is the forest (similar to your lot); it's peaceful, and we love looking out at the trees and animals. I've found that the views are more enjoyable from ground level. (Our "main" house is a walkout basement with a deck, where the views are from one flight up.). One advantage that we didn't consider is that it's very nice to have ground-floor access out back. Spouse can go out to the hot tub without going down any stairs. And I can head out on the trails behind the house directly from our main area. It works very well for us. We only have a small deck out front, partly because it's a northern exposure and we thought it would be too cold for a bigger deck there. Turns out, that's not the case. But because it's a retirement house, our little Juliette deck is just the right size for the spouse and I to sit out front in the morning with coffee and the newspaper. As with most things, there are advantages and disadvantages to an uphill or a downhill lot, but some of the factors may be different for you, based on how you would use the lot and the house you put on it.
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To get rid of moles you need to eliminate their food source- the grubs. Treating for grubs is highly dependent on the time of year and their life cycle- you have to hit them when they are near the surface, Usually early spring- if you are in the USA I would contact my local cooperative extension agent for advice on specific timing in your county. Find them by googling "your state+county+cooperative extension." Kanon- you don't give a location so it is difficult to speculate but holes with no dirt mound suggest chipmunks. Again- your cooperative extension agent is the best source of help with local issues. Or post a photo of the holes- that would help a lot. And location, of course.
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designoline6
12 years ago
{{gwi:27367}}
bahia
12 years ago
This slope doesn't look so steep that you will be having difficulty walking through it for maintenance, if you leave some space between plantings for access; heavily mulching to control weeds, and maybe using some flagstone stepping stones to step on. Your wish list of plants doesn't seem to include any evergreen shrubs or perennials to anchor the design and give it some structure year round. As a general recommendation, I'd suggest grouping multiples of each plant species and perhaps repeating them across the slope for some continuity. As I design for west coast or subtropical locations, I can't really give you great advice on how to lay out your wishlist of plants. What I can suggest is to consider how the various plants you like have different forms, and one can play uprights or taller lacey plants against lower mounds, and also consider playing off of foliage color and textures to give more interest when plants aren't in bloom. I've designed many colorful gardens with mostly perennials here on much steeper slopes and have them look great year round. The one benefit of a California climate is there are so many flowering perennials and herbaceous shrubs that are evergreen and/or even can be in full bloom in mid-winter. With some research on a wider plant list after visiting some of your better local gardens, I'm sure you'll have some good ideas of your own.

What I can recommend is to get out and visit some of the great public gardens you have in Pennsylvania, such as Chanticleer or Longwood Gardens to get some ideas on great planting combinations that work in your climate. The latest issue of Garden Design magazine has a feature on Chanticleer, worth picking up a copy to get you inspired.

Again, I can't emphasize too much that keeping a thick mulch/compost over any bare earth will help control both weeds and erosion. Good luck with your project.
bahia
12 years ago
This slope doesn't look so steep that you will be having difficulty walking through it for maintenance, if you leave some space between plantings for access; heavily mulching to control weeds, and maybe using some flagstone stepping stones to step on. Your wish list of plants doesn't seem to include any evergreen shrubs or perennials to anchor the design and give it some structure year round. As a general recommendation, I'd suggest grouping multiples of each plant species and perhaps repeating them across the slope for some continuity. As I design for west coast or subtropical locations, I can't really give you great advice on how to lay out your wishlist of plants. What I can suggest is to consider how the various plants you like have different forms, and one can play uprights or taller lacey plants against lower mounds, and also consider playing off of foliage color and textures to give more interest when plants aren't in bloom. I've designed many colorful gardens with mostly perennials here on much steeper slopes and have them look great year round. The one benefit of a California climate is there are so many flowering perennials and herbaceous shrubs that are evergreen and/or even can be in full bloom in mid-winter. With some research on a wider plant list after visiting some of your better local gardens, I'm sure you'll have some good ideas of your own.

What I can recommend is to get out and visit some of the great public gardens you have in Pennsylvania, such as Chanticleer or Longwood Gardens to get some ideas on great planting combinations that work in your climate. The latest issue of Garden Design magazine has a feature on Chanticleer, worth picking up a copy to get you inspired.

Again, I can't emphasize too much that keeping a thick mulch/compost over any bare earth will help control both weeds and erosion. Good luck with your project.

Hill - A thorn in my side

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tnjnm07
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designoline6

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Hill - A thorn in my side

Comments (5)

tnjnm07Original Author

designoline6

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tnjnm07
Original Author