A hillside garden can be extremely attractive. However, the sloping topography also poses certain challenges. In order to secure slopes against slipping, you can also combine the useful with the beautiful - a slope in the garden, for example, offers a natural template for terrace beds.

There are many visually appealing slope stabilization options

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Methods for intercepting a slope
  3. Ideas for garden design with a slope
  4. frequently asked Questions

    5. the essentials in brief

    • Slopes can be intercepted with gabions, concrete walls or dry walls
    • Plants give slopes support and thus stabilize them
    • Streams on slopes are impressive

    Methods for intercepting a slope

    To keep a slope from slipping due to erosion and gravity and the land surface from moving substantially, there are a few options. Cleverly designed interception devices can also make a sloping garden area particularly attractive and combine the necessary with the beautiful.

    On the one hand, more or less solid stone constructions are ideal for securing a slope. But a slope can also be cushioned with wooden building elements or plants. The most common methods are as follows:

    • Gravity wall (concrete wall - dry wall - gabions - natural stone wall)
    • precast concrete elements
    • plant stones
    • wooden palisades
    • greening

    Each of these methods has its advantages and disadvantages and is suitable for different requirements and ideas. Here is a brief overview of their respective properties:

    gravity wall precast concrete elements plant stones wooden palisades greening
    Suitable for steep, difficult slopes heavy, moderately steep slopes all slopes, additional herb cultivation flat, easy slopes wide, flatter slopes
    benefits very stable and durable easy processing, durable cheapest stone variant, planting possibility cheapest variant, simple construction most ecological variant, decorative
    disadvantage expensive, complex construction Foundation necessary, sober appearance not everyone's style susceptible to weathering, moderate holding power costly, high-maintenance

    gravity wall

    To break a steep, long slope, a heavy stone wall is the most solid solution. A so-called gravity wall has the necessary weight and strength to withstand the pressure of the slope mass. A gravity wall is a heavy wall made of stone materials - such as those made of solid concrete modules with a support foot or brick variants. The latter include dry and natural stone walls.

    concrete wall

    A solid concrete wall is usually built from individual modules that flatten slightly towards the top. As a result, they lean against the soil of the slope, so to speak. At the base, the modules have a foot, the thickness of which is about one third of the wall height. About a third of the wall has to be sunk into the ground so that it can withstand the slope with enough stability.

    The wall must be sunk into a concrete foundation. Drainage is very important for every massive wall that is impermeable to rainwater and meltwater flowing down the slope. The best way to do this is to dig a gravel-filled drainage ditch behind the actual foundation ditch, into which a drainage pipe can also be laid.

    Alternatively, a gravity wall can also be built with formwork blocks. The hollow building blocks to be filled with concrete can be easily installed with a tongue and groove system and can be obtained at relatively low prices. The rules for the foundation and drainage system apply as for a gravity wall made of concrete modules.

    gabions

    Gabions are particularly popular for slope stabilization

    Gabions have been all the rage for some time - on the one hand, because with their regular wire basket frames they meet the architectural taste of the time, which is currently so puristic and geometrically elegant. On the other hand, certainly because they are relatively easy to erect due to the fact that they are filled with loose stones without mortar. If they are to be used to intercept a slope, however, a solid foundation is immensely important. Because gabions are not as stable as solid concrete walls. They are therefore only suitable for slopes with a moderate gradient.

    In addition to sinking into a deep concrete foundation, drainage is also urgently needed for a gabion wall. Because if water collects between the loose stones in the wire basket and freezes, the wall threatens to tip forward due to the ice load.

    drywall

    Dry stone walls are a mortarless wall variant that is particularly full of character. Especially in the natural stone wall version, which is built from unhewn natural stones. Because of its distribution in the Mediterranean area, a natural stone wall can provide a Mediterranean flair in the garden, especially if a slope is intercepted with several small, terraced natural stone walls.

    You don't necessarily need solid expertise to erect a drywall. It is important, however, that you align them at a slight angle against the slope when used as a slope support. A deep concrete foundation is also required. A tension cord helps to follow a clear line.

    Here is a clear video of a privately built dry stone wall on a slope:

    youtube

    precast concrete elements

    Prefabricated concrete elements are modular concrete palisades or L-bricks. They are easy to work with, but like gravity walls, they must be set in a concrete foundation. In addition, drainage in the form of a gravel ditch at the back is also necessary here.

    plant stones

    Planting rings are excellent for intercepting a slope

    A construction made of plant stones is not everyone's style. However, a slope can be intercepted in a comparatively uncomplicated and inexpensive way. Planting stones are ideally suited for slope stabilization in the typical step-like layered processing method, which automatically leans backwards as a result. In addition, they result in a versatile planting area - either for a purely decorative green and flowering wall or also specifically as a herb garden for the kitchen.

    However, as with gravity walls, the construction requires a foundation made of gravel and concrete with a drainage facility.

    wooden palisades

    A small slope can also be intercepted with "soft" solutions. For example with wooden palisades. The big advantage of them is the fairly uncomplicated processing and the comparatively low purchase price. The disadvantage, however, is the susceptibility to weathering of the wooden elements. Despite the impregnation with which they are always provided, given their intended use in direct contact with the ground, they deteriorate over time and then have to be replaced.

    In order to intercept a slope with wooden palisades, the construction should be placed in a foundation trench with gravel and lean concrete.

    greening

    Hedges, perennials and shrubs are used for natural slope stabilization

    Another way to strengthen a slope is simply to plant greenery. Plants can use their roots to stabilize the pull that sits in sloping soil quite well. However, this variant only makes sense on slopes with a moderate gradient. In addition, the surface of the soil should be covered with a geogrid or embankment mat made of jute or coconut fiber before planting. This slows down the slipping, but the plants still have enough space to stretch out their roots through the meshwork.

    A mixture of shallow and deep-rooted small shrubs and a flat underlay with ground cover is suitable for stabilizing slope planting. Holding and decorative small trees are about:

    • liguster
    • shrub roses
    • Buddleia
    • cornel
    • broom
    • cotoneaster

    Suitable ground covers are:

    • Elf Flower (pretty and densely rooted)
    • Golden strawberry (robust, easy to care for)
    • Ivy (firm, but also very vigorous)

    Ideas for garden design with a slope

    You can get a lot out of a garden on a slope in terms of design. You can often combine the practical with the useful.

    Terraces with natural stone walls

    A classic is certainly the terracing with natural stone walls. On the one hand, you create an atmospheric, Mediterranean flair in the garden and, on the other hand, you also expand the usable area of your garden. Because the resulting leveled areas are easier to plant with most plants. Small-sized terraces can also serve as the basis for semi-raised beds.

    On the other hand, you can of course also set up pleasure areas with sun loungers or seating groups with parasols on the leveled terrace areas. This is particularly useful on sunny south-facing slopes with an attractive view of the countryside.

    streams

    If you have a slope in your garden, you can use it for a watercourse

    You can also make excellent use of the steepness of a slope for watercourses. Soothing ripples and graceful movements of water over a decorative stone bed add tremendous value to a garden. To build a stream, you basically only need a pond liner, gravel and stone material to weigh down and decorate, plants depending on the greening you want and a pump - because for a continuous flow, the water arriving at the bottom must finally get back to the starting point at the top. Bubble stones or gargoyles are ideal for this. For example, a small pond can be created below.

    slide

    Do you have children? How about integrating a slide into the slope? The natural slope of the topography allows a slide to be erected without scaffolding - only a set of stairs should be erected next to the slide.

    frequently asked Questions

    How can a slope be intercepted particularly cheaply?

    Roughly one can say: all stone solutions are also expensive. Unfortunately, this means that the most solid methods are no longer available for bargain hunters. However, if you only have to intercept a small slope with a moderate gradient, you can get away quite cheaply with wooden palisades, for example. They are quite cheap to buy and only a little lean concrete and gravel is needed for the foundation.

    Who is responsible for leveling a slope between neighboring properties?

    The neighborhood legal situation is often not clearly applicable to individual cases. This also applies to slopes between neighboring properties. Roughly speaking, the following can be said: it must always be clarified by an expert whether there is a natural slope or whether soil substance was worn away or heaped up when creating the upper or lower garden. If an artificial gradient is created by digging or piling up, the person who caused it always has to bear the work and costs.

    How do you design a slope reinforcement in a modern way?

    Wooden palisades and plant stones have a rather conventional, dusty character. The current taste in garden architecture calls for clear materials and straight, no-frills forms. These criteria are definitely met with geometrically defined L-stones or puristic gabions. You can achieve stylistically appropriate plantings with box trees and ornamental grasses, for example.

    What stabilization methods are suitable for a small slope?

    If you only have to intercept a small slope with a moderate gradient, you can work well with palisades made of wood or concrete. A small, self-layered natural stone wall is also recommended here.

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Garden design