Ideas for steep slope
jpcn17
10 years ago
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Persimmons
10 years agotree_oracle
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Tiering a very steep slope - need idea please!
Comments (13)I suspect you will still need your drain in approximately the same location, but if you lay the drain and then wish to lay concrete there, you will be hooped. The issue is that the same amount of water will come from the woods as now, but it may flow differently after your walls are done, and it may somehow evade your drains or, Marcinde's point being well taken, cause problems with your septic. I would not count on plant absorption of water to accomplish much - partly because it isn't constant, and even if it were it certainly can't surge with water flow. And if your walls do not shift water flow but rather do hold it back, my concern would be that your whole wall and plant assembly would come tumbling down the hill and land on your patio with the weight of retained water. It is absolutely not impossible for lay people to learn what they need to know to manage a project like this, but the risk arises if you do not take the time to adequately learn it and do something wrong. The risks are anything from doing a lot of work and STILL getting water in the basement, or getting an overwhelmed septic field, or the aforementioned landslide scenario. Coupled with your slope toward the fence on the other side, you definitely have some grading issues to deal with - I think I would recommend you level the area near the fence with a retaining wall to create a walkable, mowable, plantable area there - and I suspect you would indeed, as Marcinde suggests, be well advised to consult with a landscape or engineering professional who can advise you on the whole scope of the situation and make a grading plan for the whole lot. Then you could either rent or hire the earthmoving machinery to create your new contours, and build your walls from there. Mind you, with basement water, sometimes the fix is amazingly small, and if it's just to solve that you may not need to terrace at all. We have, for instance, for years had an annual wet-basement-vacuuming event, but were never quite clear on how the water was getting in though we thought it had something to do with the porch foundation. One summer I was mortaring some bricks outside, and I had a little mortar left over, so on a whim I formed a small ledge to direct water away from the door leading into the porch foundation. About a half cup of mortar, the ledge less than an inch high and a foot long - and voila, no more water in basement. The moral is, analyze your problem first, and THEN design your solution, not the other way around. And don't be embarrassed to hire help for the analyzing, though sometimes, all you need to do is go outside when it's raining hard and be observant. KarinL...See MoreManeuvering around on planted slopes
Comments (2)The only way I know of to make this kind of thing... well, not *easy*, but not too bad at all(I'm coming up on 54, and have very iffy joints)... is to plan out the 'maintenance paths and flattened sitting spots' before the planting. Or to suss out the already planted slope, and decide what things you can move. You can make it look very natural, and still be fairly easy to navigate, if you plan for your own movements first, and then plant things around those needs. But it takes some initial work. Plan your maintenance paths more across than up the slope, with enough branching to get where you need to. And remember that this is not a walking path. You may be able to crab-walk along this particular four-ft span, but then you really want a solid place to park your behind while you work [grins]. Where do you want your flattened sitting/working spots? Create those. Then work on making the paths between them not-painful [grin]. All the paths can be pretty much invisible from below or above once things are growing. Or you can use rocks, bricks, logs, etc, to create the 'flat working spots', and make it all part of the design. Linda...See MoreNeed Idea For A Steep Slope
Comments (8)First of all - don't remove the roots or till. You need those there to hold the area against erosion. Those roots will die and decompose over time, so you're right that now is the time to get new stuff in. Natural succession of the land would have grasses come in to hold and build the soil. Over time, tree and shrub seedlings will come in and the area will become more woody - as you saw before. So I would research native grass seed that is as locally sourced as possible. Contact the Maryland Native plant society if necessary....See MoreSteep slope next to front stairs--landscaping ideas?
Comments (7)Fellow Seattleite here (or darn close to it :-)). It is unfortunate that you have two mildly to severely invasive plant species holding up your slope but they are doing the job. Removal may not be advised without some sort of shoring up as those root systems - as you have discovered - are tenacious! Pull them out and your slope collapses. You may be best served by just keeping on top of the growth of both plants. The laurel can be cut back very hard, so you could take it down shorter and continue to keep at a height that is reasonable for you. And that would hopefully prevent it from flowering, which is where much of its invasiveness derives (flowering - berries - birds spreading). And just keep the ivy trimmed back properly. Once or twice a season should do it. Don't let it climb the fence.....not good for the wood and when it climbs, it morphs into its flowering and fruiting form and then you have the same issues as with the laurels....See Moregardenweed_z6a
10 years agobarrett001
10 years agoJules (5a S.E. VT.)
10 years agomomtoollie
10 years agojpcn17
10 years agoboston3381
10 years agobarrett001
10 years agopetalique
10 years agobarrett001
10 years agojpcn17
10 years agotree_oracle
10 years agoThyme2dig NH Zone 5
10 years ago
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