What to Plant on Terraced Hills

Tall Shrubs

• Tall shrubs add screening and provide vertical interest in your terraced garden. Named for its brilliant fall color, burning bush (Euonymus alatus) can grow to 30 feet tall. This deciduous shrub has dense foliage that turns bright red in autumn, while attractive bark lends interest to the winter garden. Plant the burning bush in well-draining, moist soil in full sun to light shade. It's hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 to 9. For year-round foliage, plant false cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa). Hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8, these evergreens thrive in moist, well-draining soil and sun to partial shade. Cultivars include "Verdoni," an 8-foot-tall variety with yellow-green foliage, and "Filicoides," which grows to 12 feet in height and has soft, feathery branches.

Small Shrubs

• Small shrubs define spaces add color and texture to the middle of the terraced garden. The bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera) blooms through summer with yellow flowers and then has red fall foliage. This deciduous shrub grows to 4 feet tall and is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8, where it grows best in rich, well-draining soil and sun to partial shade. The savin juniper (Juniperus sabina) grows to 3 feet tall and spreads up to 10 feet wide. Hardy in USDA zones 3 to 7, this evergreen tolerates a range of soil types and full sun to partial shade exposures.

Ground Covers

• Low-growing ground covers fill in empty spaces above ground, while their spreading root systems prevent erosion on slopes. Choices for terraces include moss phlox (Phlox subulata), which forms a dense carpet of dark, evergreen foliage. In spring, phlox blooms with white, pink and lilac flowers. This ground cover is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 8 and tolerates sunny, dry and rocky sites. The common bearberry or kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) spreads to 3 feet wide and looks especially attractive when allowed to trail over terrace walls. An evergreen, this North American native has red stems and lustrous foliage topped with white-pink spring blossoms and long-lasting red berries. Common bearberry is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 6 and grows well in poor, dry soil.

Perennials

• Choose perennials that flower at different times for constant color. For summer color, plant day lilies (Hemerocallis spp.). Hardy in USDA zones 3 to 10, these 3-foot-tall perennials bloom through summer in a range of bright colors, from white and yellow to orange and red. They prefer full sun and moist, rich soil. Violas (Viola tricolor) produce purple, white and yellow blossoms from spring through the fall. These small perennials self-seed and are hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9, where they grow well in rich, moist and well-draining soil.