Low-Maintenance Hillside Landscaping Tips & Tricks

When it comes to gardening, hillsides are hard. Steep slopes are difficult to plow, to mow and to irrigate. But unplanted or inappropriately planted, a hill is prone to erosion.

So what’s a home gardener – in search of an easy-care landscape – to do? Low maintenance hillside landscaping is possible! Here are some low maintenance hillside landscaping ideas for you to consider.

Mountains and hills can offer gorgeous views of the surrounding countryside, and they add interest to a landscape. But nobody will tell you it’s as easy to plant and tend a hillside as a flat lawn area.

Every garden task becomes more difficult if performed on sloping land, and issues like erosion from rainwater must be taken into account. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t find ideas and designs that will work well and, once installed, require only minimal maintenance.

A harried home gardener facing an eroding hillside may grab for the first quick solution. This often tends to be invasive plants like ivy, that quickly escape the cultivation area into neighboring land or wild areas. But native plants control erosion much better.

So clear the land and prepare the soil for planting. Then install one of these excellent, easy-care native choices for low or no maintenance hillside landscaping.

While native plants – like grasses, wildflowers and trees – are already acclimated to your area, there are some tough non-natives that would also work well as low maintenance ground cover for hillsides. Here are a few to consider.

Once the planting is done, cover the slope with natural jute ground fabric. This natural material will stabilize the soil to prevent soil loss to erosion. It also keeps down weeds. Attach the fabric in place with metal staples or wooden