Bought a new house and found yourself with a small area boasting a bit of a slope?
Such a valuable space in your backyard shouldn’t go to waste…
We know what it takes to prepare a garden landscape that engages. So, why don’t you take a look at our hillside landscaping ideas to see which ones make your heart pound?
This list is filled with beautiful garden slopes to make use of that backyard hill to the max. What’s better, there’s a style for every type of house. And what’s more important, they’re all straightforward and cheap.
Regardless of what you’re looking for, you’ll probably find it below – so check it out!
18 Backyard Slope Ideas for Beautiful Landscapes
We chose ideas that anyone could put to work. Regardless of your level of experience at landscaping, there’s a chance you won’t find anything in this list especially tricky.
But be aware, they can be time-consuming. We give you a heads-up on what each could take to save you the frustration later on.
Keep scrolling and check them up!
1. An Autumn Garden Oasis on a Slope
Want a hillside with everything? Then a garden oasis will come like a charm.
It doesn’t have to be an “Autumn” garden specifically. You can also make it a Spring or Summer garden if necessary.
The focus of an oasis is to choose plants that match each other. Meaning, they look at their best in the same season – so you can wait for the slope to flourish at that precise moment of the year. You’ll need stones, rocks, gravel, and probably even a fountain or cascade to make it stand out.
If you know what you’re doing, you can prepare one of these in a week or less. Otherwise, expect at least two weeks of work. The result? Gorgeous either way.
2. The Succulent Garden Slope
Give your garden hillside a new appearance with a desertic look.
What better for that than a bunch of succulents?
Choose various succulents like hens and chicks, a few small and large cactuses, plus an aloe vera or two…
The place will look superb. Paired up with some gravel and a few small desertic bushes, the hillside will boost your garden appeal to perfection.
This could be a bit costly if the hillside is too large and requires tons of succulents. But it could also be a cheap one. Regardless, it shouldn’t take you more than a week to landscape it.
3. Flowery & Rocky Natural Hillside
In some cases, resembling a natural place is the way to go.
Letting the different plants in the hillside flourish could be everything you need to do. But you can still make it even more enticing.
Add plants that spread fast and produce colorful flowers like Gerbera Daisies or catnip. They will tackle the whole place and disguise the area, making it look outstanding.
This shouldn’t be much work or time. Unless you want to add more rocks or bring trees, a month or two should be enough to see how everything blooms.
4. Classy Stonework with Fireplace Hillside
Let’s give the place a complete change. Instead of using vegetation that could take several months to flourish, let’s use STONE.
Yes, you read that right. A few ceramic tiles, some rocks, and stone slabs will make for a classy stonework hillside that catches everyone’s attention.
Build a retaining wall, plant a few flowering plants, and probably add a fountain and a fireplace. Either way, make it look stone hard. A rough but attractive area never goes out of style.
This could be time-intensive, though. And costly too. Be sure to gauge the time, money, and effort it will take before starting.
5. Traditional Hill Garden Stairs
Some areas could use a bit of a traditional touch instead of something cutting-edge. Your humid garden hillside could be that place.
Just bring some rocks and bricks, slabs for the steps, and a few sculptures or stone ornaments. Get a few plants around, probably let some moss grow. Your garden hill will look fantastic, to say the least.
This idea is a piece of cake because it doesn’t require any maintenance. And the more disorganized and bumpier it looks, the better. This shouldn’t take more than a week to prepare.
6. Japanese-Style Hillside Landscape
Few people will ever think of giving their backyard slope a Japanese style. You can be one of them.
Bring a few Japanese plants like bonsais and Asiatic lilies. Build a Koi pond in the middle to make it a perfectly Japanese area.
Don’t hesitate to bring a cascade or stream. Letting it flow will add a touch of Zen garden that will set your hillside apart.
As soon as you look at it, the hill will imprint peaceful energy in your soul. Or well, it will at least help you relax after a long day of work.
Building time? It depends on your skills. This could take you from a few days to several months.
7. Hillside Water Garden with Stream
There’s nothing like the constant spurt of water over stones when you’re resting on your favorite garden chair.
The relaxing sensation of a water garden at home can change your whole hillside experience. Especially if you have rocks around and some pet birds who like water, an idea like this can be a game-changer.
It’s not a task for anyone, though. Building a water garden like this can take a bit more time, effort, and money than you expect. But it’s completely worth it, given how beautiful your hillside will look.
8. Full-Fledged Rock Garden Hillside
For those who aren’t afraid of going the extra mile, a fully-equipped rock garden on a hill can change any home’s appearance exponentially.
You’ll need a sufficiently large hill for this. Not necessarily a mansion-like space to work, but at least two digits of square feet to find a place for everything will be enough.
What does everything mean? For starters, you’ll want tons of rocks. Then you’ll want shrubs. Don’t forget about grass. And to give it an extra touch of beauty, bring flowers. As a bonus, you can make a gravel walkway and plant a tree around.
It will require you to put your creativity to work to the max. Luckily, it shouldn’t take more than a week to get it ready.
9. Rock Retaining Wall with Stairs
Practical but still beautiful, a stonework retaining wall on your front yard hill will change your home’s facade forever.
Bring several stone blocks or slabs and build a retaining wall with them. If the hill is sufficiently large, you may need two or three of these walls.
The focus? Make a multi-level hill that grabs anyone’s attention at first sight. Paired up with garden beds between each wall and you’re set for a completely gorgeous change.
Don’t forget to plan the staircase! You won’t like to stay stranded under the hill when it’s time to get home.
10. Botanical Bed Hillside Landscaping
There’s no need to complicate things. A simple addition of your favorite perennial flowers plus two or three of your favorite tropical plants can get the job done.
Matched with a stair path plus rocks spread all around and you’ll be ready to enjoy a stunning place. When the right season arrives, you won’t believe how breathtaking everything looks.
As simple as it sounds, you won’t have to do much than planting your favorite perennial species, a few large succulents or palms, and rearrange the rocks. That’s it.
11. A Cascade with a Pool on the Hillside
Maybe a bit overkill, but obviously worth a try. Imagine a small stream coming off a rocky hillside, ending on a pool or fountain. Sounds dreamy? Well, it doesn’t have to be only your imagination.
Perfect for summer or tropical areas where you could enjoy a pool every day of the year, this rocky hillside stream won’t let you down.
And if you don’t live in a summery place, then don’t make it a pool. It can be anything from a small koi pond to a more serious little lake. Regardless of what you go for, it will be a blast to look at.
Obviously, you need the hill or slope to be rocky, more than anything. If yes, making this a reality shouldn’t be much of a hassle.
12. Four-Seasons Slope Blooms
Nothing like rows of flowers that bloom all around the year to boost your house’s appeal. Planted in the proper position and all across the hillside, you can create an unmatched butterfly garden that looks like out of a Photoshop designer gallery.
The advantage of flower rows like these is that you can actually walk between them. It will be a dreamy place everyone will love taking photos with. And you’ll be no exception!
The only requirement would be to use flowers that bloom at different seasons. That should make the hillside work even better, so the colors never stop at any moment. Planting the flowers in rows should be a no-brainer, even for inexperienced landscapers.
13. Rock Garden Hillside Style
A bit of mulch, lava rocks, some shrubs, and several rocks lying around – you can build that rock garden and combine it with a hillside effortlessly.
Making the garden a more hospitable place while adding that touch of beauty to the unused slope won’t be a problem. Given you have the time and willingness to rearrange, plant, and trim shrubs, flowers, and other species, the rockery will look striking.
A week or so should be enough to transform any rocky slope into a place everyone wants to spend time at.
14. Rock Garden with Pergola Hillside
Pergolas are among the most practical garden ornamentals anyone can use. Even for a hillside, they can be the perfect addition to add a drop of elegance, peace, and beauty.
Paired up with your favorite low-maintenance plants, a few stones, maybe even a sculpture, and that dull hill will be completely renewed.
The advantage? Pergolas can become focal points for reunions – so it’s a double win!
Pergolas are often easy to make, so this shouldn’t take more than a couple of days. Provided you only need the plants, a week of building a hillside like this would be a stretch.
15. Retaining Wall Garden Bed Slope
Getting your backyard hillside to the next level may require you to use retaining walls. Made of stone or brick, retaining walls never stop being amazing.
The main benefit comes from the strips of garden beds that remain between walls. These can be the perfect place for you to mulch, add some gravel, and plant your favorite species. Give your aloe vera plants a chance, or bring your favorite flowers. The place will look fantastic either way.
16. Stone Wall Hillside
Love the middle ages? Castles, stone bridges, and palisades? Then you’ll love building a stone wall on that hill.
While not a simple job, it can set your home apart from everyone else’s. Stone, put together with a bit of cement and lush grass around, can exponentially boost the slope appeal.
The best of all is how Instagram-friendly the place will be. Your friends won’t stop taking photos around it. You won’t be able to keep them off it!
17. A Bushy Hillside Garden
Bushes, flowering perennials, some rocks, a stone path, and maybe even some trees. Why give your hillside a distinct look when you can make it the most attractive?
There’s no point in doing what everyone else is doing, especially when you can build something like this. Well, not precisely build but LET it grow.
It’s simple, and it looks EXCEPTIONAL! Just plant some of your favorite bushy plants, bring some flowers, get some trees around, and let the rocks be the cherry on top. You’ll love the place without a doubt.
18. Moss Slope Garden
Some areas don’t need the lushest grass, the rockiest paths, or the most colorful flowers. Instead, you can build a sufficiently enticing hillside by just using moss.
Yes, as straightforward as it sounds. Growing a moss bed on your garden hill will make for a beautiful area. What’s better, you can match moss with practically any ornament or plant species, and it will look fantastic.
Time for building? It may take anywhere from 2 weeks to several months (you’ll have to wait for the moss to grow).
Conclusion
After reading our favorite hillside landscaping ideas, you should be ready to start building them up!
Regardless of what you choose to give your garden slope a new appearance – make sure to make it the best.
We hope the ideas above worked as inspiration to get you started. Now it’s time to put in the work!