• Retaining walls add depth and dimension to the landscape.rural house image by Chris Lofty from Fotolia.com
  
  Hills can add some challenges when planning a landscape. Steep hills can be difficult to maintain and special considerations need to be considered, such as water drainage, soil erosion and what types of plants will grow there. Most people desire landscaping that is functional as well as attractive.
  
  

Retaining Wall

• One popular landscaping technique is to divide the low and high areas with a retaining wall at the base of the hill, then carve out a stair case up to the top of the hill. You could either leave the stairs natural or you could put something on top, such as wood planks or slate. Once you can easily access the top, one alternative would be to cover the hill with weed barrier, small landscaping rock and plants in pots. Bury the pots in holes. Putting the plants in pots and burying them will eliminate spreading and weeds.
  
  

Shrubs

• Cover the hill with mulch and plant a variety of dwarf trees and shrubs. It is important to use vegetation of various colors, blooming times and height. Another option that would provide contrast is to cover the hill with white rock and green plants. You can also eliminate all vegetation to ensure less maintenance but water erosion may be a factor to consider for your area.
  
  

Rock

• Strategically placing rocks and boulders from the bottom of the hill to the top--- but not over the top---adds texture to your landscaping. The top can be filled with trees and shrubs that stay green all year. When placed correctly, the rocks and boulders will create a waterfall during the rainy season and in spring when the snow melts. A creek lined with river rock at the bottom of the hill will catch water run-off and direct it elsewhere, such as a drainage ditch, pond or city water system.
  
  

Terraced Garden

• Create a zigzag stairway from railway ties that provides access to terraced gardens as you climb the hill. Plants that do not require large amounts of water should be placed in the highest terrace and plants that require a lot of water in the bottom terraces. Some shrubs that grow well on a slope are spiraea snowmound, dogwood and hydrangea. Add some other types of plants, such as geraniums, foxgloves, ivy rudbeckias, astilbes and nepetas. When planting on a slope, it is important to remember that plants in higher terraces may cause lower plants to be in a shadow, so plan carefully before planting.