Hardscape Ideas for Sloped Landscapes in San Diego

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Retaining Walls

To create a flat spot to put a garden or patio, you almost always need a retaining wall. This holds back the soil, controls erosion, and breaks up the slope. Retaining walls can be made of many different materials, from natural looking boulders to cleanly cut paving bricks to weathering steel plates that rust to a beautiful burnt orange color. Concrete, lumber, and cinderblocks are additional options for building retaining walls.

Terraced Gardens

For planting on steep slopes, you may need to break up the garden into multiple stepped layers you can work with, installing separate retaining walls for each one. This requires carving various flat spots out of the slope and building a strong wall to support the soil as you go. Then, you can grow different types of plants in each terrace you carved out. You can even install raised garden beds to create an even more layered look.

Cantilevered Deck

If your sloped property is too restrictive, simply build above it! In this Modern Panoramic project we completed in San Diego, we drove piles into the sloped earth below and built a cantilevered deck over the slope. A glass railing system completed the beauty and safety of this sophisticated backyard with endless views of the valley.

Steps

It’s easy to navigate a hill if there are stairs to walk up and down. These can be as refined or rustic as you want, from smooth bricks to roughly hewn pavers to giant stone slabs. You can even use railway ties and gravel to form steps in your sloped garden. Consider adding a handrail if necessary for extra stability when traversing the hill.

Curving Garden Path

When life hands you steep slopes, use them to create meandering paths with beauty rivaled only by their function. Wind the steps through rock retaining walls in a curving arc that creates a beautiful backcountry look. To create just the right aesthetic, you’ll need the exacting eye of a landscape architect to help with this project.

Plastic Mesh

When the soil starts washing away, your sloped garden begins to degrade. Slow this progression by installing plastic mesh on the slope. Fill the mesh with soil and plant grass, trees, and ground cover on top of it. The roots of these plants will further help to keep the soil in place.

A Slide for the Kids

You may see your sloped property as an inconvenient problem that requires a solution. But what your children see is the world’s greatest slide. While you should still implement some of these hardscape ideas for slopes to slow erosion, you can always take advantage of the natural slant to install a slide for your kids to enjoy.