COLUMNIST: KATIE REYNOLDS
The first thing to do is to survey your space. If there are gentle inclines then this is something you are likely to be able to take on yourself. If it is a steeply sloped garden then you may want to have a professional survey done so that the levels are accurately measured. A garden designer can organise this for you, or you can approach a surveyor directly.
A topographical survey is important in order to be able to design accurately - calculating the number of steps required, the construction of retaining walls and the safe access through the site, amongst other factors.
Also take into consideration the aspect of the slope. In terms of planting, is it south facing and will therefore receive a lot of sunlight, so will be drier and hotter? Or north facing which will be cooler and retain more moisture.
Does the slope go down towards the house? If so drainage should be carefully designed to suitably divert water run-off away from the house.
Once you have grasped the lay of your land, the next step is to work out what to do with it as there will be numerous options. Splitting the slope up into planting, pathways, and level areas for seating will help break up the space.
Take time to really think about what you want from your garden and how you want to use it, and then you can divide this up between the levels. You may want an outdoor dining area, a place for children to play, a fruit and vegetable patch, a shed. These can all be positioned on different levels with planting in between, and pathways to join them.
Remember to consider the journey through the garden, and also the practicalities. You do not want to be staggering up endless steps carrying trays of drinks and food to the far end of the garden, so having your outdoor dining area fairly close to the house is important.
Yet also think about the end destination: will the path lead you up or down the slope to a breathtaking view, a water feature, a bench? Or will the path be a circular route, taking you up through the garden and looping back down again to the start, with some seating areas dotted along the way to pause and enjoy the garden.
If the garden is steep then the best design solution may be to terrace the slope, though this can be expensive. It isn’t just the retaining wall that is expensive, but the actual terracing in terms of shifting the soil and the labour and machinery that is involved, often in difficult conditions given the slope.
Stone walls are costly but beautiful if your budget can stretch to it, or use corten steel for a more contemporary look.
You can keep the budget down through the choice of materials - wooden sleepers or stone filled gabions look good in a more informal setting or coastal garden and are much more cost effective.
A retaining wall could also double up as a bench to sit on, so that the materials used become multifunctional.
A more affordable and environmentally friendly approach is to plant up the slope as it is, using the gradient as a stage for the planting. The planting will naturally be tiered so you do not need to worry about some plants blocking others as you would in a flowerbed which is level. And as you walk down the slope you are seeing plants from a new perspective, looking at them from above which is a refreshing change.
A rockery or cottage inspired garden is another design idea. It lends itself to a more informal look, with the charm being in the organic feel, a path winding up through the beds, with stones and planting spilling over different levels, rather than a more straight-lined, formal feel that a terrace would give.
Finally, see your slope as an opportunity. You may think that it is a limiting factor, but from a design perspective, differing levels is a key element. A change in levels brings an added perspective to the garden, a sense of intrigue and discovery by journeying up or down through the space.
Designers often add in a change of levels even when it is not naturally present, and if your garden already has this feature think of it as an asset, and have some fun designing it.
Katie Reynolds Design offers garden and interior design services across Aberdeenshire and the North East of Scotland. She is qualified in both sectors, having trained at KLC School of Design in London, and the National Design Academy.
Gardens and interiors are often treated as separate entities in the design world but Katie is passionate about integrating the two disciplines, believing that together they define your home.
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