If you are in the market for new landscaping plants, you may be wondering what plants are the best for hillside landscapes. The good news is that there are dozens of great options. Read on to learn about Japanese maples, hydrangeas, climbers, and groundcovers. You can also add Japanese maples to your landscape! We’ve listed some of our favorites below. And don’t forget to take advantage of our free plant finder tool!
Climbers
There are many options when it comes to planting climbers. You can use them to cover ugly tree trunks or create a beautiful backdrop for a garden. Choose plants that can reach up to 66 feet. A great way to conceal ugly tree trunks is to grow climbers. Choose perennials that bloom in spring and summer and can cover the trunk. They can also provide privacy for the area below.
When choosing climbers, consider how much work they need. Climbers require a bit of maintenance, but they add style and color to your yard. Consider clematis, honeysuckle, pyracantha ‘firethorn’, and garrya elliptica. Climbers require more work to establish, but they are well worth the effort. They can also be used to cover a small area or frame a window.
Honeysuckle and other climbers are great choices for a country garden. They grow well together and prefer cool, damp shade. Honeysuckle, in particular, is easy to grow, requires little maintenance, and is a popular plant in many country gardens. Honeysuckle also has many medicinal properties. It has been used in traditional medicine for hundreds of years. Aside from being fragrant, honeysuckle also looks great in country gardens.
If you are landscaping a steep hillside, you should choose a variety of plants that can grow up and over time. Plants that grow low and spread upwards will work well with taller plants, whereas annuals and shrubs do not stay up on a hillside. They will also add color and texture to your yard, but they may take a couple of years to grow. You can also consider growing evergreen trees, such as spruce. The roots of these plants are not very deep and do not hold the soil in place.
Shrubs
When you want to plant a landscape, you’re probably wondering which shrubs are best for hillside landscaping. While it may be tempting to use one type of plant for a sloped yard, this approach usually highlights the hillside’s shortcomings. Instead, select a mix of plant types that will both create a visually appealing garden and diffuse the effect of wind and rain. Listed below are the best shrubs for hillside landscaping.
The Chenault coralberry, for example, is an easy-to-grow shrub that can thrive in most soils. It is also fairly low-maintenance and easy to control with pruners. For slopes, dug-up rooted stems and replant them in another location. Its beautiful flowers and foliage will draw in birds and other wildlife. However, the thorns are an eye sore.
If you’re going for a low-maintenance landscape, choose plants with deep roots, as they will resist erosion. They’re also great for hillside areas, where water tends to drain downward. Shade plants, on the other hand, are only good for slopes that face away from the sun. Shade plants can be hard to care for, so opt for plants that require little maintenance. A perennial ground cover like spotted dead netter, for example, will survive a slope and add a touch of character to the garden.
Groundcovers
Using groundcovers on a hillside is a fantastic way to change the look of a dull spot. Deciduous groundcovers can provide year-round color, from spring flowers to summer berries to colorful fall foliage. Smaller groundcovers are great for small areas, but they often require weeding. For larger areas, taller plants provide shade and are more suitable for large slopes and expanses.
Sweet woodruff is a perennial that prefers deep shade. Sweet woodruff blooms in the spring, when crabapples are in bloom. It forms clumps and is relatively low-growing, but it has a tendency to spread aggressively. It is often used in combination with junipers. This versatile groundcover provides beauty and functionality while maintaining a low maintenance requirement. It will be the perfect choice for a hillside.
Groundcovers can mimic grassy lawns and flower beds. Plants that don’t require annual fertilizers and watering are excellent groundcovers. They also help soften paved areas. Massed plantings can also slow the movement of rainwater down slopes. Their foliage and roots absorb moisture, preventing tripping hazards. You can also plant woody groundcovers to protect the slope from erosion.
Many groundcovers have many benefits. They can be evergreen, deciduous, low-growing, clump-forming, trailing, and weeping. You can even choose a groundcover based on how much shade it will provide. Whether you’re planting in the fall, winter, spring, or summer, groundcovers are dependable living solutions to many landscape problems. They can even help control erosion and blanket a hillside.
Japanese maples
The three most common species of Japanese maples are Acer palmatum, Acer japonicum, and Acer shirasawanum. All three trees are hardy in Zones 6 through 8, although they can handle Zone 4 as well. Japanese maples prefer full sun, although they can also tolerate partial shade. They thrive in soils with high pH and good drainage. They are also drought-tolerant, but require consistent watering.
Among the most commonly grown cultivars, Shania is the sun-tolerant, compact, and layered variety. Its leaves emerge red in spring, turn maroon in summer, and turn brilliant orange in fall. Emperor I leafs out slightly later than most Japanese maples. It has dark red foliage, moderate growth, and a compact, dense form. This is an excellent choice for a hillside landscaping project.
When planting Japanese maples, you should plant them a month before ground freezes to allow for root growth. They like to wait until spring to settle and flower before freezing temperatures. In the fall, reduce the amount of water they receive to encourage better color changes. Be sure to protect the tree from winter with a thick layer of mulch. Don’t place the mulch against the trunk of the tree. Otherwise, you could end up with a sprinkling of sap.
Another consideration when planting a Japanese maple is its location. This beautiful tree is best planted in a sheltered area or near a stream or lake. Japanese maples don’t require much pruning, but it’s important to remove dead branches and encourage more dense growth. Avoid heavy pruning, as this will destroy the natural habit of the tree. If you plant the tree in a container or a bonsai, trimming will be more frequent and more difficult.
Hydrangeas
There are several benefits to using hydrangeas in your hillside landscaping project. Not only do they have big, beautiful flowers, but they also tolerate most soil types and are easy to maintain. They can grow up to 10 feet tall and are great for creating a colorful barrier. Choosing the right plant is important for long-term success. Listed below are some considerations when choosing hydrangeas for your landscape.
Decorative gardens are another great way to add color to your landscaping project. Hydrangeas look fantastic with landscape stone or decorative mulch. The natural colors of the mulch or stone will serve as the perfect backdrop for the colorful flowers of hydrangeas. Hydrangeas are often seen on the edges of homes, buildings, and property lines, and can make a stunning addition to any space. Hydrangeas blend well with other decorative plants, as well.
There are many varieties of hydrangeas, but the most popular is Hydrangea macrophylla, originally from Japan. There are two kinds of hydrangeas: Mophead hydrangea and lacecap hydrangea. The Mophead variety has large globe-shaped flower clusters, while the Lacecap has flat, round blossoms that surround smaller, fertile florets. Both have rounded growth habits and bloom in early summer.
Creeping plum yew
This enchanting climber is the perfect choice for hillside landscaping. Although it can be slow to grow, this plant is a good choice for gardens that attract deer. While it is slow-growing, it will stay beautiful year-round even if deer browse in the area. This plant is widely distributed throughout the Asian mainland and is hardy to zone 6.
The foliage of the creeping plum yew is similar to that of yew, although its reproductive strobili are different. While most people are familiar with the yew’s non-poisonous aril, plum yew seeds are larger than those of yew. Their seeds are the size of an olive or small plum, and are covered by a thin hard shell and outer fleshy coat. In sunny locations, these trees are best planted four feet apart.
Another tree that is good for hillside landscaping is the Japanese yew. This tree is native to eastern North America, where it grows naturally in sandy open woods and meadows. It is widely adaptable and grows well on slopes and in periods of periodic flooding. Generally, this tree prefers partial shade to full sunlight and requires very little maintenance.
Japanese yews are native to Japan and Korea, and were introduced to North America by George R. Hall in 1816. Although they are conifers, they don’t form cones. The female species produces red berries, and they are ideal for hillside landscaping. In the landscape, they are drought-tolerant and can be treated just like any other container plant.
