Is your landscape going downhill? You can fix a slippery, eroding slope by using one of these proven landscaping methods: planting deep-rooted ground covers, applying heavy-duty mulch, laying turfgrass, installing angular rock, or building step terraces.
If you’d rather skip the planning and hire someone who does this every day, Lawn Love’s local gardening pros can handle slope planting and installation.
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| • Slopes under 33% can be stabilized with plants, mulch, or rocks alone. • For slopes 33%–50%, add erosion-control fabric or jute netting beneath any plantings. • Slopes over 50% need hard structures: retaining walls or terracing. • Native plants are the best long-term solution: deep roots hold soil with minimal upkeep. |
Know your slope grade
Before you redesign your landscaping, your first step is determining the steepness of your slope so you know which landscaping options are right for you. The easiest way to do this is the stake method. Here’s a great video explaining this method:
Slope grade guide
| Slope grade | How to solve |
| Under 33% | Use plant materials, mulch, pine needles, and rocks |
| 33% – 50% | Add landscape fabric like mats, jute netting, and erosion control blankets beneath organic materials |
| Over 50% | Add special structures like stone and wood retaining walls, riprap (rock areas), or terraces |
5 landscaping ideas for a slope
There are a few aspects of your yard to check before choosing what slope design is right for you:
- Soil type: Sand is more prone to water erosion than clay. Poor silt soils are at high risk for erosion. If you have one of these types, choose a more secure option like a retaining wall.
- Plant water requirements: To minimize water waste, use hydrozoning. Group plants together based on water requirements. Plants that need more water should be planted toward the bottom of the slope.
- Sun or shade requirements: Some plants and grass need plenty of sun. Well-shaded areas could benefit from stone structures instead.
1. Anchor plants
A great way to spruce up the look of your slope and control erosion is with plantings. Ground covers and shrubs are especially effective at increasing the quality and quantity of soil on a slope. Well-established plants do three things: hold soil in place with their root systems, slow the impact of heavy rain on the surface, and return nitrogen to the earth to keep topsoil healthy.
Victor Coppola, founder and principal at GreenWorks Environmental in New Jersey, calls this the “temporary armor + permanent biology” approach.
Instead of leaving bare dirt while waiting for natives to grow, Coppola recommends planting a fast-growing, temporary grass mix (like annual rye and sterile wheat) and covering it with a biodegradable erosion-control blanket of straw-and-coconut fiber. For especially soggy yards, he also suggests installing a hidden drainage trench at the top of the slope to catch water before it ever runs down the face of the hill.
Jeremy Martin, owner and designer at Willow Gates Home & Landscape in Mohnton, PA, says that while natives are great, they aren’t the only solution.
“We do use natives or nativars where it makes sense, and we do avoid anything that could be considered invasive. English ivy is a classic groundcover that we refuse to plant because it’s invasive!” he explains.
“If the goal is a natural vegetated bank with little maintenance besides annual mowing, then a combination of perennials or low-growing shrubbery for long-term stabilization and a mix of quick-growing annuals may be the answer. The annuals tend to grow quickly and could provide stabilization for the first season,” Martin continues.
Native ground covers:
- Deer fern
- Redwood sorrel
- Bunchberry dogwood
- Wild ginger
Native shrubs:
- Spirea
- Mock orange
- California lilac
- Elderberry
Native trees:
- Willow tree
- Showy mountain ash
- Red twig dogwood
2. Mulch
Mulching is our lowest maintenance option, and it’s an easy DIY. All you need are a few bags of mulch (or your own compost) and a free afternoon. A 2-inch layer prevents weeds, retains moisture, and protects topsoil from being blown or washed away.
For more visual interest, incorporate mulch into any of the other landscaping ideas here. It can provide a base for shrubs, accent a terraced flower bed, or accompany a rock garden.
Keeping mulch on a slope requires the right material. Martin strongly advises avoiding standard loose wood chips.
“We use premium bark mulch on all hillsides. This tends to knit together fairly and is less likely to float and wash away, unlike wood chips,” he says.
For steeper drops, Coppola has a very specific recipe. “Mulch that stays on a hill requires a heavier 3-4-inch lift of double-shredded hardwood mulch, then ‘tack’ it with a cellulose-based mulch tackifier like Soilworks Gorilla Hair Mulch mixed in,” Coppola explains. “The texture interlocks and the tackifier keeps it from skating; fluffy pine bark nuggets are basically tumbleweeds on a slope.”
To find out how much mulch you need, you can use our mulch calculator.
3. Touch it up with turfgrass
Who doesn’t love a rolling green hill? Turfgrass is an awesome option for a clean, green look.
Turfgrass works well on mild slopes (under 33% grade) and is easy to maintain with a standard mower. On slopes between 33%–50%, lay an erosion-control blanket first to give the grass a stable base to establish in.
What kind of grass should you choose? Take a look at our chart to see whether your climate calls for warm-season or cool-season grass.
| Grass type | Sun needs | Care |
| Bahia | Full sun to part sun | Low |
| Bermuda | Full sun | High |
| Centipede | Full sun to part shade | Low |
| Zoysia | Full sun to part shade | Medium |
| St. Augustine | Full sun to part sun | Medium |
| Kentucky bluegrass | Full sun to part sun | High |
| Fescue | Full sun to part shade | Low |
| Bentgrass | Full sun to part sun | High |
| Ryegrass | Full sun to part shade | Medium |
4. Rock it out: landscaping a slope with rocks
Rocks are a gardener’s best friend. Rocks used for erosion control on a slope are called riprap. That just means a permanent layer of boulders and stones that protects the soil surface from water runoff. Landscaping on a slope with rocks is durable, low-maintenance, and visually striking when done right.
“Rock can be used in some cases, but there are limits to the steepness of the slope where they can be used,” Martin says. “While the rock won’t float, it doesn’t knit together. It’s best to use fractured, angular stone mulch rather than rounded river rock on a bank.”
Rock combinations:
- Pea gravel or cobblestone with native plants to create a rock garden
- Stacked flat rocks to build a stone retaining wall at the bottom of the slope
- Anchor plants with flat boulders to mimic step terracing
5. Step terracing: steep hillside landscaping done right
How does descending down a beautiful garden path sound? Step terracing is the perfect option for a steep slope. Essentially, you add several retaining walls to a hill and flatten the areas between them. It breaks up the hill into plateaus to stop runoff and provides a great base for several landscaping options.
Options for step terracing materials:
- Logs
- Concrete blocks
- Bricks
- Stone
When choosing materials, Martin strongly advises against wood.
“First, timbers were popular in the past and are still sometimes requested. As a matter of principle, we do not install them because of their limited lifespan,” Martin says.
“Wood walls, even if using treated materials, can rot away in as little as 10 years. A segmental retaining wall (SRW) is a dry-laid system that has excellent structural qualities and is often the cost-competitive choice,” he continues. “Poured concrete walls and mortared masonry block walls can also be used with proper engineering. Boulder walls and dry-stacked stone can also be used in some applications.”
Terracing isn’t always a beginner-friendly project, and DIY structural errors are common.
“Most slope failures I see are water/soil physics failures and not landscaping,” Coppola says.
“DIY terracing and retaining walls fail when people cut into the toe of the slope (removing the ‘buttress’), stack block on organic topsoil instead of undisturbed subgrade, and build tiered steps without a setback rule (each tier should step back, not line up like a cliff),” he says.
Once you have your terraces, fill them with anchor plants for maximum erosion control — or use the plateaus for flower boxes or a raised vegetable garden.
How to stop erosion and manage drainage on slopes
Erosion is the wearing down of the Earth’s surface by wind, water, and ice. The U.S. loses 1.7 billion tons of topsoil every year and slopes are among the biggest culprits, according to the USDA.
Slopes are much more likely to experience erosion because of water runoff and the increased force of gravity. The effects go beyond a patchy lawn: erosion destabilizes driveways, clogs neighborhood drainage, harms aquatic life, and can damage your home’s foundation.
Managing that water safely at the bottom of the slope is critical.
“At the bottom, don’t ‘daylight’ the whole slope into one soggy spot—spread and slow it,” Coppola says.
To do this without getting too technical, he recommends spreading the water out into a shallow, gravel-filled bed rather than letting it pool. If you have to pipe the water away, make sure it empties safely into a designated drainage area that won’t flood your neighbors.
“Don’t disturb anything that even smells like wetlands/regulated drainage without permits, because fines/restoration are very real,” Coppola continues.
Martin reminds homeowners that pushing the problem onto a neighbor is not the answer.
“A well-vegetated slope will help slow runoff. Swales, rain gardens, and retention ponds may be used to further control and detain the runoff on your own property,” Martin explains. “Achieving zero runoff onto a neighboring property is often impossible, particularly if your property also receives runoff from uphill neighbors. Stormwater velocity may be slowed with rock aprons, but care needs to be taken that these controls don’t flood adjacent driveways or roadways.”
FAQs
Mulch is the most affordable starting point. For rocks, source locally quarried angular stone rather than decorative smooth stone. Native plants are often available free through native plant society swaps or county extension office giveaways, and they’re a strong long-term investment for erosion control once established.
Making the most out of your landscaping
The design plan is just the start to turning your slope from a drag to a star feature of your landscape. These resources will help you get started on installation and make the most of your vision, so it continues to thrive.
- How to Plant Grass Seed
- Lawn Mowing Tips and Tricks
- Ground Cover Tips
- How to Install Landscape Fabric
- How to Use Landscape Fabric in a Garden or Flower Bed
If you don’t have time to DIY, contact a professional landscaping company in your area. They’ll take care of the design, installation, and maintenance.
Main Image: Hillside home with sloped landscape and balcony. Image Credit: Shutterstock
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