Landscaping Challenges: Solutions for Slopes, Small Spaces, and Poor Soil

Landscaping is difficult to plan because you need to work with what you have. This is not to say that you can’t level your yard, amend your soil, or find workarounds for landscaping challenges, but it is to say that achieving your dream property can be slightly out of your control. In this post, you’ll get some landscaping ideas for common challenges like yard slopes, small spaces, or poor soil so you can build the lawn you deserve. Landscaping Solutions for Slopes Slopes in your yard pose a problem because they take up valuable space in your yard that could be more functional if it were flat. Many homeowners are reclaiming their space–and the best way to do this with a slope is by installing some elevated hardscaping, whether it be stairs, a retaining wall, a rain garden, or a hilltop firepit. The most common solution for a slope is a retaining wall because it’s aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. Slopes often contribute to other landscaping issues like erosion and flooding. Retaining walls prevent erosion by holding the soil in place and prevent flooding by channeling water away from your property. While stairs and hilltop firepits are fun to build into a slope, it’s important to consider the potential risks associated with installing them there. If your slope is known to cause flooding, erosion, or other structural problems, it’s likely not safe to put anything on top of it that will weigh it down. Features like rain gardens and retaining walls make more sense because they maintain the structural integrity of your property while contributing to its biodiversity. Landscaping Solutions for Small Spaces When it comes down to it, you can do anything you want with your space. Small spaces tend to pose landscaping problems only because homeowners have many ideas but only a little space to do it all. When you have a small yard, prioritizing your landscaping goals is key. Two common ways to maximize your space while staying on-trend are integrated hardscaping and vertical gardening. After COVID-19, outdoor living has become important to many homeowners. People are building outdoor kitchens, offices, and other multifunctional rooms that allow a seamless experience between their indoor and outdoor spaces. By incorporating hardscaping like a patio or outdoor kitchen into your backyard, you’re maximizing that space by making it more functional. Plus, it cuts down on lawn maintenance. Another great solution if you prefer plant life to hardscaping is focusing on your vertical space. This can come in many forms, whether it be a vertical garden, retaining wall, or something larger like a deck installation that allows you to enjoy hardscaping upstairs and plant life downstairs. It also helps to make any landscaping or hardscaping aspects multifunctional; for example, you can build a patio with built-in flower beds, seating, or a fire pit. Landscaping Solutions for Poor Soil Poor soil quality can damage both landscaping and hardscaping when it’s mismanaged. Luckily, you can use quite a few strategies to improve your soil, most of which involve applying some organic matter to your yard. The most common and typically most effective way to improve soil quality is by adding soil amendments such as mulch, compost, sand, sawdust, grass clippings, peat moss, etc. The type of soil amendment will depend on the type of soil (loamy, sandy, or clay) and your soil’s specific issue. Similarly, it also helps to plant native plants, rotate crops, and apply topsoil. There are also some lawn care services and hardscaping aspects you can implement. Poor drainage is often a reason your soil quality is poor, in which case it helps to aerate your lawn and avoid compacting your soil as much as possible. The section above will help you decrease soil compaction, but regarding drainage, building rain gardens, installing French drains, and using permeable pavers for any hardscaping projects will help with proper drainage. Conclusion Landscaping challenges are no fun, especially when they’re not entirely within your control. Luckily, multiple solutions are available for each challenge you may face, and all it takes to choose the right one for you is to familiarize yourself with the landscaping basics and prioritize your landscape goals.