It's usually the case, and I think it will be here, too, that whatever one says with words when trying to describe their lay of land, is insufficient for clear understanding. It is pictures that will explain how all the things in the yard relate to the other things. But isolated shots will not do. What is needed are shots of the overall scene from a distance. If there is not much distance to be had, PAN the whole scene with the camera taking slightly overlapping shots so that viewers can see how parts of the scene connect with other parts. It is helpful to include the house as part of the scene so it can be seen how it relates to the yard.

So far, from what I can understand, it doesn't seem like the hedge is helping you with your goals, whereas not having it might. At the wood post, I can't see that there is sufficient flat ground for gardening. But there is enough for just starting an erosion problem.

Thanks Yardvaark. Unfortunately it is impossible to take a photo that shows the entire area, but I've attached a drawing here that should clarify what I'm dealing with. This is what the whole area looks like as seen from the staircase that runs up the edge of the property to the parking area. The stair railing is on the side opposite the yard, so you can walk onto the yard from the stairs (or you could, if it were flat enough). However, the one area that is truly flat enough to walk on (between the two slopes, probably about 5-6' wide) is currently inaccessible due to a single large shrub growing right next to the stairs. I can get up there by climbing the slope but that's not really practical for everyday gardening, LOL.

I agree with you that the sloped areas (and the flat spot between them) need to be handled with care to prevent erosion. Right now they are overgrown with grass and weeds, which is unattractive but seems to be doing a good job of holding the dirt in place. I would really love to put that flat area to work with a raised bed, but you may be right that I would be causing myself a major erosion headache.

Are the proportions in the sketch measured and to scale? You are showing slopes that don't have a chance in Hell of remaining as they are! I would fear for the house. Couldn't advise you to touch it without personally seeing and then would probably advise reinforced concrete retaining walls.

Based on the sketch, I don't see why you couldn't go to an upstairs window (or stand on a ladder next to the house, near the center of its wall) and see most of the back yard. If you can see it, you can capture it in photos. Just pan the camera taking multiple overlapping photos. To capture a vertical span would require sweeping the camera aimed at different levels, keeping it at the same level for each sweep.

The proportions are definitely not to scale, sorry! The slopes are much less steep than I have them drawn, but still too steep to walk on comfortably. I'm not concerned about them sliding into the house - the house has been there for over 100 years without an issue. I do worry about creating an erosion problem if I disturb the groundcover or try to do something more with that flat space, but I don't think we're in danger of a landslide.

Anyway, I never thought of going up to an upstairs window for pics - FACEPALM. I'm not at home right now to do so, but I do have a series of shots that show everything from the hedgerow down to the patio. Unfortunately, it's really hard to see the angle of the slopes because everything is green, no matter where you shoot from. Here is a side shot showing the patio up to the hedges - this shows the angles better than any other shot I have:

Just a guess, but the raised beds at the top probably get the most sun? Good spot for tomatoes, things that really need lots of sun. Lower down, maybe you could construct supports for some vertical gardening? Pole beans, etc. If there is a good location for it, use agricultural galvanized steel troughs or stock tanks as planters for lettuces. Herbs will grow anywhere without much digging, and won't disturb the hillside. Lovely setting, you may have to experiment a bit to see how well the veggies will do.

The raised beds do get a fair amount of sun, but I think the hedgerow in front of them actually gets more, because of the trees behind the yard. Since the house faces west, the rising sun is blocked by those trees until probably mid-morning for the boxes, while the hedgerow escapes the shadow maybe 30 mins sooner? I'm not entirely sure because we didn't take possession of the house until the end of August, so I didn't have a chance to observe the sun patterns during the peak growing season.

It's because the hedgerow gets so much sun that I am considering pulling it out and replacing it with raised beds or something else. Not only that, but it blocks my view of the existing raised beds from the house AND provides a snug little nook between hedges and beds for deer to sleep. I have been surprised several times by a deer jumping out of that area when I was walking up the stairs to the car. Perhaps I could try out some trough planting up there after the hedges come out and see how that goes before putting in a more permanent bed.

It's true that certain views do not convey slope well. Sometimes it takes multiple views to show all that needs to be seen. While people may go to great lengths to verbally explain conditions in their yard, their explanations almost never measure up to actually seeing. A picture IS worth a thousand words -- probably more. And seeing is believing! Many times I reject what is said in favor of what is shown. After seeing your second to last picture, I'm sure that if you were to go to the center of the house wall, hold the camera in a vertical format and PAN the scene, showing the WHOLE width of the yard, we would have a much better understanding of what is there.

Okay, I got the photos! These were taken from the 2nd story window, panning from the north side of the property to the south. Still difficult to see the angle of the slopes and flat area. The stairs are at approximately a 30 degree angle (my mother the math professor would be so proud of me for remembering enough high school trigonometry to calculate that), but the sloped areas are steeper. I measured them as best I could and it looks like we've got two 10-11' slopes separated by a 5-6' flat area.

The big maple tree in the first photo is coming down tomorrow, sadly - it's badly rotting at the base and the branches extend dangerously over the neighbor's house, so it has to go.

Thank you Yardvaark! That combined photo is terrific. I agree with you that the hedge is unnecessary - the wood retaining wall/raised beds are not at all unattractive, and that flat area behind the hedge is really the only flat spot on the entire lawn, so I would really like to make good use of it! The fence above them and the ivy/climbing stuff that currently runs wild all over the fence blocks the view of the car/parking lot from the patio (not that I would mind seeing the car anyway). Using those beds for landscaping rather than gardening was not something I had considered, but it is something to think about.

Due to the natural slope of the area, they are of different heights - the one closest to the stairs is around 4.5' high, sloping down to around 3' for the one closest to the south fence. There are also 5 separate beds of different sizes, so I could certainly use some for landscape plantings and others for gardening. I'm very tall, so I can still reach the highest one, but perhaps it would be better to plant something decorative and low-maintenance there. I weeded the three lowest ones this fall and planted garlic in one of them, but I noticed while I was weeding that the one on the fence doesn't get a lot of sun and seems to stay rather wet, so again, maybe a landscape plant that likes shade would be best there.

As far as creating a garden on that flat area, how would you go about it? I was thinking of building another set of raised beds where the hedges currently are, and leaving a narrow walkway between the new beds and the existing ones to allow access to both. Since I have about 7', I could put in a 4' bed and still have a 3' walkway, which seems adequate for passage and kneeling to work the new beds. Other options?

Anyway, as far as the slope goes, I was definitely planning to plant some ground cover. There are quite a few rocks in the slope and I was considering adding some more, to place some pretty alpine flowers and such, and then fill in the remaining area with a ground cover that will prevent erosion. Perhaps the flat area could be home to some low-maintenance shrubs. I am curious to see exactly how much space is there, though, once I clear out that mess by the stairs that is keeping me from walking out onto the lawn. There are a couple of ugly shrubs and some random bricks and stones that make me think there might once have been a terraced area or rock garden there, not sure.

Finally, here is a new photo of the north side, without the maple tree! The guys came and took it out today. I'm sad to see it go, because it really was a lovely color, but it was definitely hazardous to our neighbors! That side of the stairs will now enjoy quite a bit of sun. I've been dying to put in some lilac bushes, so perhaps a row will do well over there!

If the wood wall is creosoted railroad ties or other treated wood I wouldn't plant any vegetables near it. Also there is the problem of having to go up and down the steps every time you want to harvest - it is much better to have plantings for kitchen use located someplace easily reached from the kitchen.

Thank you Embothrium. I have no idea what the wood wall is made of - is there an easy way to find out? Somewhere to send a sample? As for the stairs, I knew what I was getting into when we bought this house, so I'm not too concerned about having to go up there for harvesting. I will plant my herbs along the patio wall and/or in containers on the patio for easy access, but I am hoping to plant some larger vegetables as well so I'll have to make use of what little flat space I have for that.

Bio, while you may have some groundcover that was purposefully planted at one time, it is not clear from the pictures where or what it might be. All I can see is what looks like a random collection on the slope of mowed and unmowed "weeds." For an area like this to look nice, it needs to be a single groundcover, covering everything. This is not to say that you can't have other plants. There can be perennials, shrubs and trees. But there should not be other groundcover-like things, or weeds, mixed in willynilly. Weeds are the destroyer of a groundcover's (or any plant's) appearance. And competing groundcovers begin to look like weeds, unless they are combined with skill, but it's not the place to start if one already has enough on their plate. Search Google images for "groundcover" and you can get a good idea of schemes and how all that look good are also weed-free.

In trying to determine what the groundcover should be, one would determine first if there is a predominant groundcover already existing. Second, one would look in the neighboring yards to see if there already exists a predominant groundcover. It is not much fun trying to have an "island" of one type of groundcover while one is surrounded on 3 sides by neighbors who have an altogether different type of groundcover. It would be a never-ending battle trying to maintain purity.

As far as decorative rocks being placed in the groundcover, they should be very large. Rocks that are too small will be "eaten up" by the groundcover to the point that they will barely or not at all be seen.

Before trying to spread your gardening interests too far into the yard/slope, I would establish them in the single, flat space where you know they will work the best. Later, after you work with it for a while, you'll have a better feel for how much father you'll wish to expand, and where the best places to do it are.

There are some herbs that are groundcovers, like thyme, chamomile, bearberry, sweet woodruff, and wild ginger, to name a few off the top of my head.

If I was looking for groundcover for a smallish place -- like a, or part of a, foundation bed -- I'd be more flexible about what groundcover to use. But for this pronounced slope whole back yard, I'd be much less concerned with creativity and more interested in something that was durable and effective. And also readily available ... especially if it could be started from plants that are already there so would be FREE. Too, it cannot be underestimated what groundcover plants already may surround the area. The truth is that no matter what groundcover one uses it will look good. So wouldn't one want to use a groundcover that does not bring problems?

Thank you Yardvaark! It never occurred to me to check and see what the neighbors had in their yards! We have neighbors to the north and south, with the east side of the property bordered by a public hiking trail. There is a cement wall and fence separating us from the trail, but only chain link between us and the neighbors. The southerly neighbor's lawn is mostly grass, but the northern one is VERY overgrown with all sorts of climbing plants, vines, and who knows what else.

Anyway, I did a little recon this morning to see what we currently have growing in our yard. I'm not sure any of this qualifies as groundcover, though. In addition to the following, we have ALL sorts of ivies and creeping vines growing over various areas. The slopes are mostly grass and weeds right now, which is problematic because the grass grows enough to need mowing, but you can't mow up there, so DH has been having to basically hold a weedwhacker over his head to trim the area.

This plant occupies a large chunk of the backyard currently, although it's actually in an area I would like to use for herbs, so it may get ripped out. No idea what this plant is, but it is reasonably attractive and seems not to need much in the way of maintenance.

Another view of it (lower left corner):

We also have several large patches of this this paler green plant growing throughout the backyard - it's definitely mint of some sort, but not sure what kind. Probably not something to use as groundcover since I know mint can be invasive.

The flat lawn areas tend to have a lot of this next plant (weed?) poking up, especially in areas that don't get a lot of sun:

And finally, there's this guy, which occupies a chunk of the backyard as well:

I'm not at all opposed to spending a little money on something new that will really suit the area, but there is quite a lot of slope to cover (I would estimate 1000sf). Never having to worry about trimming those slopes again would be worth a pretty penny, though! Any thoughts about these current residents?

The first picture is Pachysandra terminalis, an excellent groundcover and the most promising of what you have (some of which is weeds; I cannot ID it all.) I would go with the Pachysandra since it already exists and its nice. Since there are so many weeds, you'll need to develop a section at a time, whatever you can take on, to be weed free. Don't throw away any Pachysandra. Use it to develop areas where you want it to be. You can increase the amount substantially by using what you have. Most important, get rid of weeds before you develop an area and control them from moving back in. Difficult to do -- especially on a slope -- without a combination of chemicals. I mention it only because if you try to do without, it will probably be an exercise in futility. The upside is that as groundcover develops thickly, it gains the ability to fend for itself more ... as demonstrated by your picture where the Pachysandra is more or less without weeds.

In a couple of pictures I think I see a very small amount of English ivy, though not positive about that. If it's in the surrounds, it would be another viable candidate for me. Some people dread it, but I find it useful and not difficult ... an excellent slope groundcover where it exists.

Thank you Yardvaark! I just googled English Ivy and the photos I'm seeing look like one of the ivies I have creeping around, for sure. Here's a better photo - it's not as prevalent as some of the other plants but it is definitely growing in several places. Does it get thick enough to really cover vast swaths of ground, though? It seems like more of a vine than something that will get full and bushy.

Now that I look at more photos of English Ivy (including many where it's used as groundcover), I see how full it can get! I actually really like the way it looks, much more than the pachysandra. Reading more about it, though, it does sound like it has a tendency to take over...

Pachysandra is an excellent ground cover for shade. In sun, it thins out, and has a hard time outcompeting grass. The second picture is catmint. It is a mint, but doesn't spread. It can seed around a bit, but is generally well behaved. Planted thickly, it is a good groundcover for sun, but isn't usually used that way because it doesn't spread. Third picture looks like creeping charlie, which is usually considered a weed. It is also in the mint family, and can be difficult to control. However, there are worse things to be dealing with.

Speaking of worse, while the leaves in the last picture with the obvious veins are ivy, the solid leaves belong to poison ivy. It can easily get mixed up in viney groundcovers, and is a constant problem. You have to keep on top of it because it isn't all that hard to pull when small. As my DH has explained, pretend it is dog poop, and pull it while your hand is in a plastic bag.

I just saw and was going to remark, too, about the poison ivy. Watch out for that! But I would be spraying it licketyspit with Glyphosate (Round-Up.)

English ivy can "take over" if one does nothing to control it. But it is entirely controllable if one learns how. It is also one of the most versatile plants, capable of covering ground in dark shade, and quite a bit of sun, too, and in wide ranging moisture conditions. Once established, it will tolerate an incredible amount of drought without perishing. It can be a climbing vine. Or it can be controlled from climbing by a once-per-year snip. It can be edged by physical cutting ... or from a stripe spray of herbicide along its edge (where it doesn't show, if it matters. It grows laterally about 3' per year.) As a groundcover, it's only about 8" tall, and evergreen so looks good year round. Doesn't need to be height trimmed. "Swallows" leave in the fall so doesn't need to be raked. Can climb up or drape down to cover a wall or fence. I've cared for tons of it when I lived in the Atlanta area and basically considered it a godsend. It saved me from lots of work.

Mad_gallica and Yardvaark, thank you for the heads up about the poison ivy! That photo was actually taken on the public land abutting my property, but I will keep an eye out for those leaves on my lawn as well. I grew up in a wooded area but years of city living have made me forgetful!

Thank you also for info regarding sun vs. shade. I may have to use more than one plant to deal with that, although the ivy sounds like it might work just about anywhere. The backyard faces west, so as the sun crests and starts sinking, the house casts a shadow. I haven't observed it carefully yet, but I would assume that the patio and lower half of the slope would be considered morning sun, afternoon shade, whereas the top half might be considered full sun. I should probably map this out sometime. The pachysandra is currently in an area that gets afternoon shade, whereas the catmint is in several locations, some of which get more sun.

As much as I like the ivy, I would love to have some blooms/color back there instead of just a sea of green - will something like ivy or pachysandra allow other plants to thrive? Or should I consider more colorful groundcovers (like creeping thyme, phlox, etc.) instead?

Wandered out into the backyard today for some closer inspection of the bed of pachysandra, and wouldn't you know it - there's English Ivy growing ALL OVER THE PLACE underneath. I also noted that Creeping Charlie basically owns large swaths of the upper slopes, especially the shady corners. It seems I have my work cut out for me. Oh, and I also finally got around to looking up the interesting vine with the turquoise and purple berries I've been wondering about - yay for invasive porcelain berry!

While English ivy can be killed by glyphosate, it usually takes more than a single application to do it. If the upper plants are growing thickly enough, it's possible to spray glyphosate over the top to kill them (probably only most, not all) , leaving the English ivy to remain because it is protected from the spray. Of course, some of the English ivy will get injured, but it will survive and recoup because the total amount applied to the plant is minor. Also, some of the weeds you're trying to get rid of by spraying will return, but the lot will be more manageable so you can begin to assault them individually by manual digging/pulling. "Pulling" of any weeds where the tops breaks off from the roots is futile and pointless. One must get the roots.