Sloping garden best design ideas

Look through our stylish sloping garden ideas to turn your difficult plot into a beautiful and functional space.

Finding sloping garden ideas can be challenging at first. However, gardens on a hill can provide many opportunities that a flat site simply cannot. Yes, more planning is required, as well as professional assistance in calculating retaining walls and drainage. Furthermore, reshaping the plot necessitates a lot of muscle power. But the result is often some of the most beautiful and interesting places to be outside.

Choose from super-chic, contemporary designs with neat tiers, smartly rendered retaining walls, and slick water features, or go for a wilder, more relaxed look with plant-packed borders, informal mown paths, and rippling streams. There are an infinite number of hard landscaping materials to choose from, each with unique properties. Even practical things like safety railings, steps, and drainage channels can be turned into eye-catching design elements that add personality to the whole look.

So, take a seat, look over our favorite ideas, and then start planning your masterplan for sloping garden ideas. If you need even more ideas for your outdoor space, check out our garden layout ideas feature.

1. DESIGN A SEATING AREA WITH LEVELED BORDERING.

As seen in this plot, sloping garden ideas can be used to create a show-stopping impact. The wooden-clad flowerbeds that cocoon a verdant lawn draw the eye upwards. The rustic feel is enhanced by the curved steps.

Meanwhile, the seating area is well-sheltered as it is located on a decked area on the same level as the house. The end result is a breathtaking view that allows you to appreciate all aspects of the garden at once.

2. USE PALE WALLS TO LIGHTEN UP THE ROOM

This tiered plot designed by Living Gardens(opens in a new tab) shows how sloping garden ideas can be used to create a modern, appealing space for the entire family to enjoy.

The hardwood deck has plenty of space for entertaining. A paved seating area above is surrounded by a curved planter, which softens the design and adds visual interest. The plot’s lower level is dominated by a lush lawn.

However, one of our favorite aspects of this scene is the use of materials and colors. The light bouncing off the pale hues helps to open up the space and adds to the clean, elegant vibe. The end result is light and airy, and it makes a great background for the lush plants and sparkling agapanthus.

3. INCLUDE SOFT FEELINGS AND CURVED FEATURES.

Slopes do not have to be flattened; they can add character and provide opportunities for creative design. According to Nigel Gomme, Landscape Designer at Cityscapers, this garden has a gentle slope that was kept and turfed for the most part (opens in new tab).

A series of tiered-level beds cuts into the area on one side. These rise in lockstep with the slope, with a stepped path running through them. The gentle curves are mirrored by the wooden bench, which we adore. They provide an organic, pleasing vibe when combined.

On the other side of the lawn, we created a small stream that meanders down to a pond set into the patio by the house,’ Nigel explains. So, in a single garden, the site’s sloping topography is expressed in three contrasting yet complementary ways, mostly by keeping the slope.’

4. ENJOY A SERIES OF SMALL TERRACES

“You can flatten a whole garden, but you will often be left with a large height difference on one side or at the end,” says Jo Fenton of Fenton Roberts Garden Design (opens in a new tab). This will necessitate the construction of a retaining wall, which can be expensive and cause issues with overlooking your neighbors.

In this lovely plot, Jo demonstrates an alternative approach to sloping garden ideas. ‘We worked with the slope in this garden by designing a series of small terraces.’ The slope across the garden is addressed by the installation of two sets of raised beds in which the clients grow their vegetables and herbs. It’s stylish and functional, and the shallow levels add visual interest to the garden.

5. PLANT BILLOWING BORDER

Fenton Roberts Garden Design’s Jo Fenton says: “Sloping sections of a garden can be hidden within planted areas, allowing other areas to be flattened for practical use.”

This steeply sloping garden was too extreme to completely flatten. We combined sloping flowerbeds with two paved terraces and a lawn in this space. This large planted area is bisected by a narrow access path, allowing maintenance to be performed.

6. INCLUDE STATEMENT STEPS IN YOUR IMAGES OF SLOPING GARDEN

Whether you’re connecting terraces or defining a steep slope, a set of practical and eye-catching steps will help define and structure the outside space.

A simple stairway made of blocks, timber sleepers, or deckboards will do the job, but it will take up valuable floorspace. Instead, for your sloping garden ideas, consider some prefabricated metal steps, such as Corten steel designs. They not only look great and add a gravity-defying edge to any design, but they can also hover over borders and have a small footprint.

7. MAKE USE OF SMART STEPS AND SLOPING BED.

Setting steps flush into a planted slope is not only practical but also an elegant solution for sloping garden ideas. The key to making steps that are strong and stand out is to make sure that each step is big enough to walk up and down comfortably and wide enough to make a bold statement, especially when surrounded by lush plants.

Consider the materials and the overall appearance carefully. In this design, the dark wood steps echo the house’s big windows while still being smart and natural.

8. USE GABIONS AS A RETAINING WALL

Retaining walls are essential for terracing sloping garden ideas and can also serve as eye-catching garden wall ideas. There are numerous options available, and their costs, planning, and installation vary greatly.

Blockwork walls, whether rendered or unfinished, will necessitate meticulous planning and preparation, as well as meticulously calculated drainage channels. Stone-filled gabions, such as the one pictured, are an excellent solution because they are not only strong enough to support large soil banks, but they also look nice and, most importantly, allow rainwater to pass through.

Gabions range in width from 0.5m to 2m and can be made of rigid welded mesh or flexible woven wire.

9. MAKE ROOM FOR SUNKEN SEATING

Adding tiered garden ideas to a steeply sloping plot is an efficient way to manage space while also creating a series of small but usable areas. Professionals will be needed to calculate the best layout as well as the size and load of any retaining walls, but the end result will be well worth it.

Look for clever ways to make the most of limited space with your sloping garden ideas. Retaining walls can easily double as built-in lounge seating and planters, so consider how many guests you want to accommodate. Keep the decor simple by going with a super chic stone and timber combination.

10. ADD STEPS AND BORDERS

In steep gardens on a slope, adding return walls to a retaining wall and a flight of steps can create a striking feature. A bold mix of materials, like slate and white rendered walls, makes the finished product more interesting.

It is not only extremely practical, but it also helps to visually connect two contrasting gardening styles—smart and contemporary on the lower level, and soft and wilder at the top. Short return walls also help to highlight the carefully chosen border plants.

How can a sloping garden be drained?

Soakaways (essentially a hole in the ground filled with rubble) are a brilliant, sustainable option for providing drainage for your sloping garden ideas,’ says Garden Designer Jonathan Martin of Living Gardens.

This is due to the fact that “you are not sending excess water into drainage, but rather taking it away from the surface to soak into the soil beneath.”

Can a sloping garden be flattened?

It is difficult to completely flatten a significant slope (and generally, expensive). However, as garden designer Jonathan Martin of Living Gardens explains, you can choose multiple levels.

“Because you can’t easily change the height difference between the top and bottom of your garden, we usually go with a tiered design,” he says. easy solutions for sloping gardens

The gradient in the pictured garden was so steep that we had to step down three steps straight out of the house.’ This is followed by two tiers of stairs leading down to the lawn. Even then, the lawn sloped, so to deal with drainage, we dug two soakaways, one one-third and one two-thirds of the way down the lawn, to divert excess water away from the surface. We, too, adore the use of garden lighting ideas.

A sloping garden is typically viewed as problematic, but as a designer, I love slopes because they embody a kind of three-dimensional potential that can lead to unique and really engaging spaces, “says Nigel Gomme of CityScapers.

You can cut into a slope, cantilever out over it, add a rubber liner and rocks and pebbles, and run water down it to create a stream-there’s so much untapped potential.’ So, instead of rushing to flatten it, consider it a resource rather than a problem, and be creative in how you deal with it.’

DO I NEED APPROVAL TO LEVEL MY GARDEN?

In general, as part of your sloping garden ideas, you do not need permission to level your garden. However, there are some limitations, “says Nigel Gomme, landscape designer at CitySpacers. The first thing you should think about is the trees in your garden. “Changes in soil levels within their root zones, which are typically twice as wide as the canopy, can harm or even kill trees,” he says. “If any trees in your garden have tree protection orders, you may be breaking the law.” So, before you begin, you should seek professional advice.

Other considerations include boundary walls and fences. How will changes in the garden’s level, for example, affect your neighbor’s wall or fence? If you lower the ground level significantly, boundary walls may require underpinning, which is an expensive undertaking.

However, with some forethought, some of these issues can be avoided. ‘We recently landscaped a garden [see above] that was steeply sloped away from the house and pitched to the side, with protected trees throughout,’ Nigel says. Within the root zones of the trees, we couldn’t change soil levels, build walls, or lay paving, and the client wanted level surfaces. So we built raised platforms, decks, and walkways that appear to float above the sloping landscape; the trees were not harmed, attractive practical-level areas for entertainment and outdoor dining were created, and the sloping terrain was largely left untouched. The point here is that you don’t have to level the ground itself to level a garden; instead, you can build level structures above it.’

“We often encounter the problem of a steep drop from the house into the garden, leaving people feeling disconnected from their outdoor space,” says garden designer Jo Fenton of Fenton Roberts Garden Design. This can be remedied by constructing a raised terrace at the back of the house. If the raised area is more than 30cm above ground level, you will almost always need to apply for planning permission. This is due to the fact that the terrace may overlook your neighbors.