Sloped Yard & Rocky Landscaping Ideas

Sloping yards that feature an abundance of rocky outcrops can be challenging to landscape. The uneven and rough surfaces make adding outdoor elements like gardens, gazebos, fences and tidy lawns incredibly difficult. In addition, the land itself may be prone to erosion and mini-rock slides. To get the most aesthetic value out of your rocky, sloping yard, and to make it safe and secure, there are several landscaping ideas that can help.

If the majority of the land surrounding your yard is flat, and is not, for instance, perched on the side of steep hill, you may be able to level it. This will allow you to utilize any and all landscaping elements you wish. According to Backyard Landscaping Ideas, start by removing the turf, or top layer of your yard, which consists of grass, grass roots and the connected soil. Use a shovel to dig into the underlying ground, and spread all of the upheaval around until yard's surface is flat. Alternatively, you may want to hire someone to level the ground with a tractor or similar machine. This idea can serve dual functions, as you can remove as many of the rocks in your yard as possible during the leveling process.

Traditional grasses will not give you a clean-cut, uniform look on rocky, sloped terrain. Instead, it will appear patchy, uneven, and in many cases, unkempt. According to Doug Green's Garden, you can achieve better groundcover for this type of terrain using other plants, such as English ivy, a climbing plant that can cover rocks; pachysandra, a creeping shrub that will form to the sloping terrain; and perennials like daylilies, which will provide you with a grass-like green coverage when not in bloom. Creeping phlox is another good option, and is particularly well suited for growing over rocks.

Terracing refers to the process of sectioning off a slope into multiple flat surfaces, which extend across the terrain like a series of steps. In a sloping, rocky backyard, terracing is an excellent option for two reasons. First, it will provide you with several separate level areas that you can use for a variety of purposes. For example, you can use one area for a garden, one for setting up lawn chairs, and another for setting up an outdoor fireplace. Second, you can construct the retaining walls for each of the terrace levels using the rocks from your backyard. Of course, this will require a lot of digging and hauling, but in the end you will save money on raw materials.