At first sight you might wonder why anyone would want to create a garden on an awkward sloping piece of land. But once you have seen the ten examples shown below you will discover that with clever use of color and design you can have a sloping garden that is both practical and visually stunning. These ideas are explained in an article by Claudia De Yong which I found on the Houzz website.

Many of us are nervous of tackling a garden on a slope, but there are various ways to make this kind of outdoor space work to your advantage. If you?ve always wanted a stream, a slope is perfect, and if you have wonderful views, then a sloping garden will help you enjoy them more as long as you can access the top section easily. Explore these and other inspiring ideas below.

Claudia De Yong Garden Design

Layer your greens
A well-known garden in Wiltshire called Iford Manor is built on the side of a very steep hill. At the turn of the 19th century, the landscape architect, Harold Peto, transformed the hillside into an Italianate garden with terraces, statues, rockeries, cypress trees and waterfalls, all with magnificent views across the surrounding countryside.The more accessible trick to steal for your own sloping garden is Peto?s clever use of lots of different kinds of green in the planting, which disguises the steep sides of the hillside. The eye is led up the winding paths and steps and you catch glimpses of what lies beyond.
By planting trees and adding different shades of green throughout the planting, with some shrubs clipped and some left loose, a steep slope becomes a mysterious journey through lush growth.

Derviss Design

Look after your soil
As well as being hard for access and planting, a steep garden slope can lead to erosion and water run-off. If you can create steps up and plant the banks with varieties that will anchor the soil with their roots, this will greatly help to retain the soil.