It’s easy to understand why it’s nice to own a home in the hills. The panoramic views from the top make the cost worthwhile to own a plot of land on a hill. But landscaping-wise, it’s a challenge. If this is the case for your yard, then prepare yourself for some added work.

Hillside landscaping is one of the most common landscaping challenges homeowners face. A slope of 4 degrees or more requires special treatment not only to make it look better, but to keep it from causing problems in the future. Hillside landscaping may take a little more work than landscaping flat areas, but the end results are worth it. A little planning and creativity can turn a problematic hillside into one that is most attractive.

Landscaping a slope or hillside can be quite a challenge for most homeowners. Other than using deep rooted plants, rock walls, retaining walls, and decks to create terraces, most folks don’t have any idea of what to do with them. The primary landscaping idea seems to be to create as many flat/level areas as possible. Sloped surfaces are very limiting as to the type of plants you can use. Some plants though love hilly areas for the added drainage and increased sun exposure they provide.

One of the major problems is sloped and hillside lawns and landscapes tend to develop dry dead spots during the hot part of the season. This is primarily due to water run off before it has a chance to saturate into the soil. Deep saturation is a key to healthy lawns and plants. Deep watering helps establish deeper roots that can handle summer heat stress. So the way you water is a very important way of having a successful hillside landscape.

Water that runs off or just barely breaks the surface, obviously does the landscape or lawn very little good. So how do you give landscaping and lawn on a slope better saturation?

Split your water cycle duration into two or three short cycles. If your water cycle is 30 minutes, you might split the cycle into three 10 minute cycles. So on watering days, you’ll run the system for the specified amount of time, let it soak for a few hours, then repeat this for the number of times needed.

To determine the exact amount of time needed, turn on the lawn sprinkler and watch for how long it takes for runoff to begin. This is the maximum of how long each cycle should be. Don’t just split your cycles into different days. You need deep saturation for healthier plants. Plants and lawns like infrequent deep watering much more than frequent shallow watering.

Landscaping and specimen plants on a hillside will also benefit from better saturation. Plants should be planted in larger holes filled with good soil that absorbs water easily. Also, dams and water wells should be built on the downhill side of the plant. This will help give the water time to soak straight down to the root zone before it runs off.

Contrary to popular opinion, hillsides can make good gardening land, and it pays to landscape them, if you are living in hill country or just have a little hill on which your home stands. Though it is challenging, it also has the advantage of producing one of the most interesting gardens around.

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