07 Feb Three Ideas for Gardens On A Slope
2024 was the year that Tapestry Design Studios were privileged to design and oversee the construction of three magnificent gardens on a slope. Each garden was very different in terms of the clients’ wish list, the materials used and the approach towards solving construction conundrums within the client’s budget.
One of the three gardens has a paved staircase with plenty of room to sit and admire the view. The second garden and fully accessible ramped decking and the third works with the gradient in the lawn and introduces partial terracing.
Let’s take a look.
Ideas For Gardens On A Slope 1: Embrace The Incline
This generously sized garden in Stebbing has fabulous views over the Essex countryside, however the huge changes of levels within the garden were proving challenging for our clients.
A small patio at the top of the slope was nowhere near large enough to accommodate their extended family for outdoor dining and relaxing. And the steep drop from the patio was a worry – somebody could easily be hurt if they were to topple from the barbecue area.
The slope, however, is a source of great fun for winter sledging and summer water slides. And so Katie’s design needed to consider not only the recreational value of the slope, but the cost of recontouring the Land.
Other issues with the garden include the challenges of mowing the bank, difficulty accessing the lower part of the garden via the existing (crumbling) steps, and the lack of both shade and privacy when using the patio..
Designing a solution to the slopes in this garden
Katie’s design extends the patio area so that it can comfortably accommodate 8-10 people seated around a dining table. There’s a glass balustrade which forms a safety barrier without interrupting the view. And a pergola provides shade, shelter and privacy.
A set of sturdy paved steps to one side of the slope means that the lower areas of the garden are easy to reach, but there is still enough of a bank to allow for adventurous play all year round. Katie’s plan includes cloaking the bank with wildflower matting. This needs very little maintenance and has a wonderful natural look and feel in keeping with the surrounding countryside.
At the bottom of the steps, in the part of the garden most sheltered from cold winds, is a brand new greenhouse and a second seating area. This allows our clients to make full use of the lower terrace and to follow the sun around the garden.
These are just a couple of pictures of the finished garden which was built by Holland Landscapes. Read the full case study in the portfolio section of our website.
Ideas For Gardens On A Slope 2: Create Zones On Different Levels
Our second example of a sloping garden solution involves using landscaping materials to create zones within the garden and facilitate an easy journey between those zones.
This family garden in Billericay is much loved, and now that the younger members of the family are growing up, the way they wish to use the space is changing. Ball games and trampolining are giving way to al-fresco dining, relaxing in the hot tub and chatting with friends long into the evening.
The level changes in this garden are not so dramatic as in the Stebbing garden described above, they are however ‘interesting’ to work with from a landscaping point of view. One side of the garden is considerably lower than the other and at the same time, the whole area slopes away from the house.
Our clients would like to use their transformed garden for outdoor entertaining, yoga, relaxation and would also love to welcome wildlife into the space. The clay soil tends to be quite wet in places as there is a natural spring in the adjacent field. This is an important consideration when it comes to designing and building garden features.
Being able to access the garden barefoot all year round is a dream for our client who particularly enjoys practicing yoga out of doors and immersed in nature.
A canopy for shade and shelter was on their wish list, as was ensuring wheelchair access to as many parts of the garden as possible without installing anything that remotely resembles a disabled ramp.
The Garden Design
Back garden design with a large lawn, a composite decking boardwalk and seating area and a secluded yoga circle
For this garden, Katie has recommended bold use of landscaping materials to create interconnected zones within the space. Chunky gabion walls exude character and add structure to the space. Whilst a bespoke built timber pergola shades a flexible outdoor seating area which can be furnished either with comfy sofas or with outdoor cooking equipment and a dining set.
During the build, our client was inspired to add a living green roof to the pergola which is beautifully in keeping with the naturalistic theme.
Composite decking has been used to construct a gently sloping ramp leading from the house, to the pergola and on into the garden beyond. Katie recommended composite decking because, being rot-proof, it is ideally suited to wet ground
Spoil from the excavations to create the boardwalks and pergola area was used to level out the lawn closest to the house, meaning it will be easier to maintain.
This garden was built by Holland Landscapes and I think you’ll agree, it’s an absolute triumph.
This bespoke pergola provides shade in the summer and creates a cosy nook in winter time. The living roof was added to the design during the build stage – it just seemed appropriate for the garden and is ideal for attracting pollinating insects.
These chunky gabion walls are visually attractive and also act as retaining walls between the lower terrace, the lawn and the patio. In this way, the garden slope is manageable AND attractive.
Ideas For Gardens On A Slope 3: Terracing And Platforms
Our client in Danbury has a wonderfully spacious back garden where mature trees create a sense of being embraced by nature. However, before it’s re-design, our clients barely used the lower parts of the garden. They were just too inaccessible, and, in our client’s words, they ‘never felt there was a reason to go to the bottom of the garden’.
When Katie first visited this narrow sloping garden in Danbury, she found a large, raised decking area adjacent to the house. This was clearly well loved and frequently used for coffees, lunches, entertaining and relaxing.
The main body of the garden however, despite being well maintained seemed difficult to access and sadly uninviting. Existing steps from the patio to the lawn were in poor repair, slippery and dangerous. Whilst the garden lacked colour and interest – partially due to the local population of muntjac deer chomping their way through several of the lower-growing bulbs and plants.
By chatting with the clients, Katie discovered that they would love to make better use of their outdoor spaces. They hoped the design would include features to encourage them off the patio and down to the bottom of the garden. The idea of a small seating area part way down the plot was quite exciting to them, as was the notion of a woodland-walk type feature teaming with wildlife and easy to maintain.
The design for this narrow sloping garden
The decking area adjacent to the house was clearly well loved and in good order, so Katie saw no reason to make dramatic changes other than to create a sturdy set of steps that would make the lower garden easier to access.
She divided the lawned area into a series of lawns which embraced the contours of the land and were separated by generously populated beds of deer-resistant plants. A snaking path created from stepping stones creates cohesion and draws the eye further down the garden.
Half way down the garden is a pretty patio with a small pond for wildlife interest. Travel a few metres more and there is a practical utility area which makes use of an existing shed. As we journey down to the end of the garden, Katie makes full use of the art of hide and reveal with interesting planting, a well placed bench and a small circular trail through a woodland garden.
The final planting for the garden was completed in autumn 2024. Even though the herbaceous borders shown in these images are not fully mature, they are bursting with interest and full of promise.
Holland Landscapes did a grand job of building this garden. Creating level areas in a sloping garden is never easy, but this team has a lot of experience of working with different materials and took every challenge in their stride.
If you are struggling for ideas for gardens on a slope, Katie at Tapestry Design Studios is on hand to help. You don’t need to be Essex-based to benefit from Katie’s expertise as consultations can be carried out remotely whenever in-person visits are tricky.
Please call or email us if you would like an informal chat about your sloping garden.
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Case Study: Steeply sloping garden in Stebbing
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