Where there is a will there is a way and the way in this case is down the slope of your elevated lot. Gardening here is uncommon and possibly daunting but not impossible and by planting colorful shrubs, interesting conifers and gaily flowering creepers, this side of your life will bloom in an interesting way.

Not only will the gradient offer good, natural drainage and a tiered view of the trees and plants here, structures such as gazebos, pagodas, lookouts, and even garden sheds will afford a slope with a view. Augment this with garden benches and seats and you have therapy - naturally!

Starting top down, the first level could have shrubs that are prized for colorful foliage. The Dogwood family trees turn attractive in autumn and when their orange to golden leaves fall, white or pink flowers, almost porcelain in appearance, dress up this tree. Red berries also form and give this tree a decorative look. Another hardy shrub is the Golden Siberian dogwood that goes from light yellow to golden yellow and then has stems that turn red in the winter. The woody and hardy shrub of the box family is another perennial plant and boxwoods are ornamental with dark green glossy leaves and petal-less flowers. There are also variegated types that contrast and complement the dogwoods nearby.

Bleeding Hearts are well-known especially the popular twin-colored leaves of olive and pink. Try for uncommon varieties that also put out flowers on stems quite like an orchid plant does. The Gold heart does this with lime green and yellow shaded leaves and white flowers. Interspersing hydrangeas that flower in bunches between leafy shrubs makes the comparison even more effective and hybrid hydrangeas put out two or three different colored flowers all on the same plant.

Taller trees like conifers lend colors like dark green, blue and yellow-green via their foliage and unusual varieties like the Japanese umbrella pine beg for attention. This tree has lime green, needle like leaves that come out in a twirl at the top of a stem and flop into an umbrella shape. Dwarf cedars and pines, Japanese maples with their burgundy leaves, deciduous Deodars, green or burgundy barberry trees and other evergreens will ensure that, with the minimum amount of effort, this slope will look like a botanical bonanza in variety and type.

Grass that will come up naturally here need not be golf green quality and rambling roses that are fungal resistant, ornamental vines and trumpet creepers can be trained to form arches and decorate dull spots. The very ingenuity of the location of this garden will intrigue and endear making an otherwise ignored space both useful and beautiful.

If you like garden design articles....These pages might also interest you:

Allium Directory, Amaryllis Directory, Begonia Directory, Crocus Directory, Daffodils Directory, Dahlia Directory, Hyacinth Directory, Iris Directory, Lily Directory, Tulip Directory

Also See:

Allergy Free Garden Design, Choosing Color Combo,Desinging with Seasonal Flowers, Design an English Garden, Garden Design Project, Gardening in Small Spaces, Complete Garden Makeover, Napa Garden Design, Favorite Plants for Landscaping, Perk Up a Flower Bed, Natural Garden Design, Using Pathways in a Garden, Design a White Wonder Gardens, Your Own Outdoor Coffee House, Designing to reduce noise, Designer Lanscape ideas, Do it Yourself Lanscape Design, Garden Design Foundations, Keeping Your Garden Size in Check, Gardening With Little Space, Outside the Box Landscape Design, Side Yard Design Ideas, Stone Patio Design, Theme Gardening, Trends in Landscape Design, What to Plant on a Slope, Winning Landscape Design