Slope in garden what to do

kerdiff

Hi I have a slope in my garden beside my house, it's a b*t*ch to cut any ideas on what to do with so I dont have to cut it.

Thats very steep,must be nearly 90 degrees .

Do you have to abseil down ?

Tefral

BrownFinger wrote: »

Thats very steep,must be nearly 90 degrees .

Do you have to abseil down ?

I'm pretty sure that wasn't the answer he was looking for...

OP, i would scrub the grass off it, rotavate it and then put a weed membrane in it and then plant it with shrubs. Could stone it off then with decorative stone. If you use bark mulch you will still get some weeds in it.

kerdiff

Tefral wrote:

OP, i would scrub the grass off it, rotavate it and then put a weed membrane in it and then plant it with shrubs. Could stone it off then with decorative stone. If you use bark mulch you will still get some weeds in it.

I was thinking about stones but thought they might not stay in place.

TheBoyConor

Yup. don't stone it. All the stone will end up down by the kerbside.

Two options.

1. Weed membrane and plant it densely with slow growing shrubs such as heathers etc.
2. spray it off, rotovate and sow with a perrenial wildflower seed mix. it is slow growing and of much more value for biodiversity than grass or shrubs. and low maintenance. only have to rake off the dead vegetation in autumn. And even then, you don't have to.

Angler1

Terrace it

TheBoyConor

No sure that would be a big job.
maintaning that is going to be even more awkward than a slope.

Wesser

what about one of those husqvarna auro mowers.

P2C

A 20 inch drive will cut that or auto mower

CJhaughey

I'd bang in some retainers and use timber sleepers to raise the part at the patio by 300mm or so, then back fill and level it a bit and plant some low shrubs, maybe use rocks and make a rockery which will need even less maintenance.

TheBoyConor

Where are you going to get all the fill to backfill behind the retainers?
And if they are wood they will eventually start to rot. Sounds a big job.

wildflower meadow mix is practically maintenance free and can be done very easily.

Suckit

https://streamable.com/po1t1

Sorry.

my3cents

Any small mower would cut that. If there is other work to be done I wouldn't be wasting time on a grass area that can but easily cut.

cnocbui

I read through the thread and then clicked on the photo expecting to see a steep slope, only to find something I would consider an absolute doddle for a mower. Just did my PITA slope yesterday with a strimmer, as it happens:



I have seen a large slope near me, that was successfully covered with a ground hugging rambling plant which has woody stems, and small tough silvery/dark leaves and which produces pea sized red berries. I don't know what it is called. It forms a dense low lying mat that would be low maintenance. I could probably take a photo next time I pass if there is interest.

my3cents

cnocbui wrote: »

I read through the thread and then clicked on the photo expecting to see a steep slope, only to find something I would consider an absolute doddle for a mower. Just did my PITA slope yesterday with a strimmer, as it happens:



I have seen a large slope near me, that was successfully covered with a ground hugging rambling plant which has woody stems, and small tough silvery/dark leaves and which produces pea sized red berries. I don't know what it is called. It forms a dense low lying mat that would be low maintenance. I could probably take a photo next time I pass if there is interest.

Much steeper than the OP'd but I'd happily do that with a cheap petrol push mower.

For steeper longer slopes the old way was to tie a rope to the handles of a 2 Stroke Flymo and let it down the slope under its own weight then pull it up again.

TheBoyConor

All well and good mullocking a mower across a slope or pulling and dragging it up and down with a rope.....until you slip or someone gets injured.

These sort of steep slopes should firstly be avoided or designed out from the outset, or if that is not possible they should be made maintenance free by planting with a slow growing mat like shrub as suggested above or just leaving it a wildflower slope.

Twenty Grand

Lay sleepers at the bottom and top, remove grass, add membrane, Shrub the lot of it. Maybe put in a water feature if you're feeling fancy.

Id turn it into a feature.

Suckit

Would it be possible to hire a mini digger and make the slope less steep?
Cut out a chunk from further back and make a more gradual slope.

Or cut it out to the top of the steps and wall the front of it?

cnocbui

my3cents wrote: »

Much steeper than the OP'd but I'd happily do that with a cheap petrol push mower.

For steeper longer slopes the old way was to tie a rope to the handles of a 2 Stroke Flymo and let it down the slope under its own weight then pull it up again.

It would want to be a light mower to go down that slope and pull it back up - backwards. Even then there would be a very high risk of slipping and falling backwards on the pull up and pulling the mower over your foot. I have a large Honda mower because it's needed for a far larger flat area. I'm not going to get a second small mower just for that bit when I have a Stihl strimmer.

my3cents

TheBoyConor wrote: »

All well and good mullocking a mower across a slope or pulling and dragging it up and down with a rope.....until you slip or someone gets injured.

These sort of steep slopes should firstly be avoided or designed out from the outset, or if that is not possible they should be made maintenance free by planting with a slow growing mat like shrub as suggested above or just leaving it a wildflower slope.

What snowflake rubbish. Used to do it every working day of the week for many summers.

I'd happily admit you need to be fit to do it so if someone is old or disabled then I wouldn't expect them to do a steep slope but the OP's slope is joke. I guess he can't get his ride on tractor on it rather than can't cut it for any other reason

Suckit

OP didn't say they couldn't cut it. Just said it is a pain in their ass, and asked for ideas so as to avoid it in the future.

TheBoyConor

my3cents wrote: »

What snowflake rubbish. Used to do it every working day of the week for many summers.

I'd happily admit you need to be fit to do it so if someone is old or disabled then I wouldn't expect them to do a steep slope but the OP's slope is joke. I guess he can't get his ride on tractor on it rather than can't cut it for any other reason

Yeah, it's snowflake rubbish.......up until you slip and sprain your ankle or put your back out from pulling n dragging. Or until the young fella you get to cut it falls and puts in a big compo claim against you.

kerdiff

TheBoyConor wrote: »

Yeah, it's snowflake rubbish.......up until you slip and sprain your ankle or put your back out from pulling n dragging. Or until the young fella you get to cut it falls and puts in a big compo claim against you.

Yeah I slipped twice mowing it, so I want to avoid cutting it as often as possible.

disposableFish

cnocbui wrote: »

I have seen a large slope near me, that was successfully covered with a ground hugging rambling plant which has woody stems, and small tough silvery/dark leaves and which produces pea sized red berries. I don't know what it is called. It forms a dense low lying mat that would be low maintenance. I could probably take a photo next time I pass if there is interest.

Some kind of creeping juniper?

cnocbui

I had a quick look at some images of the juniper and I don't think that is quite it, but it would certainly do the trick and the OP might like to take a look.

Lumen

They have slopes like that in the Iveagh Gardens. I think it looks great.

ShiverinEskimo

Just finished doing a sloped raised bed in my front garden recently. Rotivated, cleared, weed membrane, heathers and bark chips. Looks decent now. Have a few finishing touches to make - have some creepers/wall drooping plants to go along the front.

Bark is staying in place for now.

my3cents

ShiverinEskimo wrote: »

Just finished doing a sloped raised bed in my front garden recently. Rotivated, cleared, weed membrane, heathers and bark chips. Looks decent now. Have a few finishing touches to make - have some creepers/wall drooping plants to go along the front.

Bark is staying in place for now.

...

Having done similar on a few occasions I'd be more worried about the stones in the wall moving. I did a run like that in our garden with small stones and someone that does the weeding knocks them all over the place :mad:

ShiverinEskimo

Wall is there years and it was an overgrown mess a couple of months ago. Spent the last while cleaning it up into a shrub border.

Before but after a strim:


During:


As of today with a few bits to be done in the next week:


That Alder hedge feels like it's on steroids. Clipped it back in winter and it's absolutely exploded again. It'll be getting obliterated in Feb..

finla

cnocbui wrote: »

I read through the thread and then clicked on the photo expecting to see a steep slope, only to find something I would consider an absolute doddle for a mower. Just did my PITA slope yesterday with a strimmer, as it happens:



I have seen a large slope near me, that was successfully covered with a ground hugging rambling plant which has woody stems, and small tough silvery/dark leaves and which produces pea sized red berries. I don't know what it is called. It forms a dense low lying mat that would be low maintenance. I could probably take a photo next time I pass if there is interest.

Cotoneaster horizontalis. It would cover that space very well.

Hocus Focus

Celebrate the interesting topography of your garden and be glad you don't have a flat boring place like mine.

deccydohc

A wheeled strimmer might be suitable. Be easy to manoeuvre - https://robertkee.ie/product/tondu-hwtl-wheeled-trimmer

looksee

CJhaughey wrote: »

I'd bang in some retainers and use timber sleepers to raise the part at the patio by 300mm or so, then back fill and level it a bit and plant some low shrubs, maybe use rocks and make a rockery which will need even less maintenance.

Noooooooo. Not a rockery if you want maintenance free/minimum maintenance. Rockeries look lovely when they are just done, but then they are a full time job weeding as grass and weeds get into all the little nooks and crannies in the rocks and its a nightmare if it gets out of hand. If you have loads of time and want a project, fine. Otherwise forget it.

my3cents

looksee wrote: »

Noooooooo. Not a rockery if you want maintenance free/minimum maintenance. Rockeries look lovely when they are just done, but then they are a full time job weeding as grass and weeds get into all the little nooks and crannies in the rocks and its a nightmare if it gets out of hand. If you have loads of time and want a project, fine. Otherwise forget it.

While I agree, it sort of depends on how well the rockery is created in the first place. Make a rockery on garden soil and you are in for a massive amount of work weeding. Alpine plants just don't grow in garden soil because most weeds will grow faster.

Some of the best "rockeries" I know have 6 inches of crushed rock over very well drained subsoil and more rock.

If you do it right and go to all the effort then the maintenance is lowered a good bit just that most people don't do it that way.

looksee

Thanks, thats interesting my3cents. I never bothered to properly investigate how to build a rockery (apart from knowing not to do the 'spotted dick'* type construction).

* I may need to explain that spotted dick is a type of boiled suet pudding with raisins, the scattering of raisins on the surface giving a similar effect to building a rockery by putting too-small stones on the surface of a mound of earth

my3cents

looksee wrote: »

Thanks, thats interesting my3cents. I never bothered to properly investigate how to build a rockery (apart from knowing not to do the 'spotted dick'* type construction).

* I may need to explain that spotted dick is a type of boiled suet pudding with raisins, the scattering of raisins on the surface giving a similar effect to building a rockery by putting too-small stones on the surface of a mound of earth

There's another name I use which comes from some famous garden writer I can't remember the name of "Devil's Lapful". Then there's the Dogs Graveyard.

Just looked it up and it was Reginald Farrer in his book My Rock-Garden https://books.google.ie/books?id=DHZJsqBZvMMC&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=devils+lapful+rockery&source=bl&ots=W-es3JQPGh&sig=ACfU3U33cxXrd1GUvKVWEH8gsOeX5QtYDQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjD5v3Sj4PkAhWeXRUIHfVqAlUQ6AEwAXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=devils%20lapful%20rockery&f=false but I've read the terms in other books.

Its very similar to growing wild flowers in a wild flower meadow you have to provide the right conditions that don't favour weeds, in most cases that means poor soil is best. Although we have a good few weeds that like the same conditions bittercress being a good example of a plant that grows to seed very quickly on in very poor conditions and comes from an alpine type of environment.

Marcusm

BrownFinger wrote: »

Thats very steep,must be nearly 90 degrees .

Do you have to abseil down ?

90 degrees is exactly perpendicular. That is far beyond the picture shown! I’d say below 40 degrees.

looksee

Marcusm wrote: »

90 degrees is exactly perpendicular. That is far beyond the picture shown! I’d say below 40 degrees.

...they were being - a little bit - sarcastic!

pwurple

Marcusm wrote: »

90 degrees is exactly perpendicular. That is far beyond the picture shown! I’d say below 40 degrees.

The photo is rotated...


OP, I suggest terracing as well. I did this before, it's not too much effort and is easy to maintain afterwards. Dig a triangle shape out of the soil and use that soil to build the level flat.

Just some low retaining walls that can be either plastered and painted, or with a stone or timber finish.
You could plant it up, or leave it as grass or gravel, whichever you prefer. If doing grass, do a mowing strip at the back to save you strimming.



Two terraces would do it, and you can let the lower wall be about seat height, which can double as a bench for picnic tables, or sitting on to use the garden.

here are some fancy versions from the internet for inspiration.

pwurple

Here's a grassy terrace, I like the bench on the bottom.



You can google images anyway to see what's possible.

cnocbui

Amazing what you can do with a magic wand...

pwurple

cnocbui wrote: »

Amazing what you can do with a magic wand...

And a shovel. :pac:

Roll up those sleeves.