For everyone there is a challenge. I am facing mine right now. It comes in the shape of a large wooded hillside that leads up to my yard.
It all began about 1 1/2 years ago when I decided I wanted to live in the country surrounded by woods. Being the bargin shopper I am I convinced a builder that his back lot would be worthless and that he should just sell it to me. It has about an acre and a half cleard where my yard is suppose to be growingand my house. The front edge of the yard and left side drop of in a 50 degree slope about 30 yards to a flat area. All of it is wooded and contains revines.
Now that the picture is painted I need ideas of what the best and cheapest way to landscape it would be. I am currently removing dead trees and under brush on the flat area next to the spring and creek. Any helpful advise would be greatly appriciated.
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
The back half of my little city lot is a steep wooded hillside. Smaller and steeper than yours. Here's some pictures of what I have been doing with it:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=152397&highlight=hillside#152397
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=142344&highlight=hillside#142344
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=127116&highlight=hillside#127116
Main points about it -- I just started at the top and have been slowly working my way down, adding retaining walls as I go, to keep everything from washing away. I am planting all with native trees, shrubs, wildflowers. Since I don't have a whole bunch of money for landscaping, what works for me is that I do one section a season. That means the stuff I planted seasons ago is spreading. So instead of buying more (well I do some of that also
), I just keep dividing the stuff I planted earlier seasons and spreading it around more and more of the hillside. So once I got started, nature is providing the landscaping, except the trees which I keep adding. I've planted two dozen or so trees there so far.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=152397&highlight=hillside#152397
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=142344&highlight=hillside#142344
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=127116&highlight=hillside#127116
Main points about it -- I just started at the top and have been slowly working my way down, adding retaining walls as I go, to keep everything from washing away. I am planting all with native trees, shrubs, wildflowers. Since I don't have a whole bunch of money for landscaping, what works for me is that I do one section a season. That means the stuff I planted seasons ago is spreading. So instead of buying more (well I do some of that also
), I just keep dividing the stuff I planted earlier seasons and spreading it around more and more of the hillside. So once I got started, nature is providing the landscaping, except the trees which I keep adding. I've planted two dozen or so trees there so far.Rainbow your hillside is looking great hopefully soon I will have pics to show also. I like your idea about sections. I never thought of it. So today I started clearing fallen trees out. I just realized how much branches and logs I have. I was amazed that it looked so little but soon I had about 7 or 8 stacks of logs ranging from 10 - 15 in each. That is not to include the under brush.
Once I get the first section cleared it should be time to plant (fall).
Once I get the first section cleared it should be time to plant (fall).
