HELP with steep bank/hill landscaping ideas

4 years ago

We are building a new home. We ran into MAJOR limestone which required heavy equipment to jackhammer out so our lot is a bit different from what we originally envisioned. We now have some pretty extreme slopes/banks to deal with for landscaping. When they jack hammered out the limestone, we were left with either paying for it to be removed, or to repurpose it.. so we decided to use it in the back yard area. (1st pic) We plan to do a water feature and plantings at the top of the hill. Our big problem is to the right of the driveway (pic 2 & 3). I've also included a basic layout of the house to get perspective. (4th pic). We live in zone 6a... north eastern Tennessee.d pic)... I'd like to find a creative way, without spending $$$ on a retaining wall. We're already over budget due to the rock issue. Retaining wall is also a potential issue since we've run into so much rock, it may be difficult to dig down for any kind of footers to stabilize the a wall. We've thought of ground covers (junipers, ivy, etc) but that comes with weeding and critter issues (snakes - ack!). Any ideas greatly appreciated!!!

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Comments (5)

Christopher CNC
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Am I seeing this right? Your house is going to sit in a bowl cut into a hillside? That rip rap slope is your backyard? This is not good.

In more bad news, the cut slope behind the gravel pile is too steep for easy planting or weeding. It is also a slope of subsoil which tends to have zero available nutrition and no active soil life that plants need to grow well. And to water it? Gravity is not on your side.

Groundcover wise for that back section of the driveway slope, a long effort to get Vinca minor established might be your best plant hope. Critters? That's life.
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Light Lizard
3 years ago
Hi, I've been researching how to do a slope along side our condo building as well. We don't want to build a retaining wall either - expensive! I haven't contacted the company below yet, as our strata still needs to approve it. They may have suggestions for your lot. https://www.dirtlocker.com/index.php#blog
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ShoppingChef
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks, we actually looked at dirtlocker.. and it's pretty pricey for the size we needed, plus nobody in our area has used it ... so we just went with Asian Jasmine ground cover, it grows really fast. Even with some really hard rains this summer, it's been holding up well.
Keepthefaith MIGirl
3 years ago
@shoppingchef do you have a photo of how it's doing? We are in zone 6a or 5b depending on your map, in mid Michigan, dealing with a steep slope that has blue clay
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Sikabum
last year
last modified: last year
Landscaping a steep bank or hill often requires heavy machinery, not just for the initial grading but also for maintaining stability and preventing erosion. It’s a task that can certainly benefit from some of the same power and precision found in the mining industry. In fact, on a much larger scale, the world's biggest mining excavators are used to move earth efficiently and safely in challenging conditions, similar to what homeowners might face on a difficult landscape project. If you're curious about the capabilities required to transform land on a grand scale, taking a look at these giants of the excavation world could offer some awe-inspiring insights.
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