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troy_lilly

How Can I Landscape My Steep Sloping Front Yard?

Troy
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago

Houzz friends, I'm seeking some advice and guidance for how to approach our slippery slope of a front yard! We purchased the home over the summer and quickly realized that mowing the front lawn is downright challenging, and worse, it's dangerous. My first mowing job consisted of losing my footing and letting the mower engine shut off, then restarting. Someone less cautious could easily end up with a leg under the mower.



As you can see, the house is perched up on a hill; the driveway is carved into the side, and also a nice grade itself. The front lawn is much steeper and is currently supported by a stone retaining wall on its right side that easily stands 60 inches tall. Vertically and horizontally, this yard is a challenge.

Looking to explore options bush and shrub options that are relatively low maintenance and also not too ornamental or busy. Also, should we be concerned about soil preservation? With my limited understanding of gardening, I've read that erosion is a common symptom of sloping yards. How much of the lawn should be removed? The scope of improvements would also include adding a row of bushes for privacy on each side of the house.

We'd love to hear from anyone who has experience replacing grass with a groundcover or shrubs on a slope similar to this. Location: Maryland (Washington, DC Suburbs). Hardiness Zone: 7

Thanks in advance for your help!

Side view. See retaining wall height reaching over 5 feet with integrated steps from the driveway to the front porch



View from bottom of driveway. Notice bottom of the slope, driveway and retaining wall all begin at base street level.



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