Landscape Ideas for Steep Inclines

Landscape Timber Steps

• Installing landscape timber steps permits easy and safe access from one part of the steep incline to the other and softens the slope. For each step, join two identical timbers, called tie-backs, to a third length as long as the width of the step forming a u-shaped structure. Insert lengths of rebar into the joints holding the three lengths of timbers together. Make as many steps as needed for the slope. Dig 4 feet deep at the base of the incline and place a timber step there. Lay another step directly over it, joining it with rebar. Continue arranging steps over the tiebacks of each previous one until you reach the incline's top. Packing gravel into the u-shape of each step keeps it in place.

Terraces

• Breaking a steep incline into level or flat terraces with retaining wall on two sides provides usable space for gardening. The most challenging step is the initial process of digging into the soil creating a level space. Use the cut-and-fill approach when creating each terrace. Dig the soil at the upper end of each terrace and fill the low area behind the terrace wall with the spoil. Boulders, rocks, stones, concrete pavers or bricks create 2-foot retaining walls along the sides of the terraces. Adding manure, compost or another organic soil amendment enriches the soil quality.

Plants

• Growing wildflowers on the incline enhances the appearance and reduces soil erosion. Clear the incline to bare soil before planting and install straw netting holding the soil in place. Alternatively, grow evergreen shrubs, such as blue chip juniper and green velvet boxwood, along the slope's base providing year-round interest, or low-growing groundcovers, such as hardy yellow, pussytoes, creeping potentilla and iceplant. Dig holes deep and wide enough for the roots to spread and grow. Use a staggered planting arrangement instead of straight rows. Using a drip irrigation system or sprinkler system when watering seeps water into the soil and reduces run off.

Decks

• Because level land on a steep incline is scare, build a level deck or a series of smaller decks connected by stairways or pathways. This prevents soil erosion and increases usable space. Include built-in benches and planters in the design adding natural color along the deck.