Clifftop gardens appear to be some of the most challenges spaces for people to design but with the right techniques clifftop gardens can be some of the most beautiful gardens.
The regular garden we see day to day is the classic 3 tiered garden with a set of steps to one side taking you all the way up to the top, each section is a lawn space and often is neglected and under used or a large lawn which slopes up to the top of the garden. Throughout this blog post about clifftop gardens I’ll take you through the best techniques to tackle these issues.
The common challenges with clifftop gardens – how to fix them
1. Create a layered visual appearance
Terracing your clifftop garden can be some of the most successful spaces, it naturally forces you to divide up the space into different sections. When starting to design your space, think about what you want to see in your garden, are you looking for a BBQ space, morning coffee space, large lawn, shade area.
Once you have established what you want from your hillside garden, we then need to move onto how to breakup the space.
If you have a large sloped garden, possibly think about breaking up your hillside slope into several different areas, these do not need to be tiered, but this might be the best route.
Choose your materials carefully, larger walls are often exposed when you terrace. Ask yourself, are you wanting to cover these walls with perennials, create raised beds alongside the terracing. How do you feel about painting the walls? Possibly the option of design clad, timber struts or maybe ever reclaimed materials. Tiles always make a beautiful feature of the space and can add interest to an area which was once a little tricky.
Planting on the clifftop
Planting on clifftop gardens require careful consideration. If terracing isn’t an option for you, you will want to consider what plants you put in your garden. Plants need to have long deep roots which are able to bind to the ground and remain in place. Best plants to often include is ground covered plants, shrubs for structure and native plants. These will support the ground you are planting on. Rock gardens are often a beautiful feature for hillside gardens, they add support and structure while also helping support the ground.
Possibly a terrace vegetable garden is an option, recliamed sleeper planting beds are always great. Maybe consider the idea of a beautiful waterfall feature. Or if you really are wanting to transform your space on a budget, think about a wildflower meadow.
Drainage
Water always flows downhill and with hillside gardens this is a key element to consider and ensure your design factors this in. Poor soil often means faster run off, and with this, heavy rain can cause erosion.
Often one of the most effective solutions are french drains for hillside gardens. This is a trench filled with gravel and a perforated pipe. It captures and redirects the water which stops the risks of water collecting.
Terracing slows water, reducing the speed and allows water to soak instead of rushing downhill.
