Planting An Annual Hillside Garden
 (Read 500+ times)
By Glory Lennon
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Gardening on flat, easily managed, uncomplicated land is what most gardeners consider the norm. They probably would never even think of gardening otherwise. Of course, some of us don’t have the good luck to have perfectly flat terrain in our yards. Some of the least fortunate gardeners among us have anything but level, user-friendly land. Some have to cope with rocks upon rocks, steep sloping land, snow-melt and abundant spring rainfalls which form seasonal streams and waterfalls ranging from a tiny trickle to rushing rapids cascading down the hill and taking with it vital topsoil.
This can be a mess and very disheartening. The gardener can either quit, hang up their trowel and never think of gardening again or not. When has the difficulty of a task prevented a gardener from achieving the almost impossible? NEVER! The gardener need only to become innovative and as tenacious as your average dandelion.
This is where the hillside garden comes into play. The hillside garden can make a beauty out of an awful eyesore. With this in mind let us go over a few essentials for the forming and planting of an annual hillside garden.
Planting an annual hillside garden can be quite a challenge. First off, depending on how steep the terrain is, the gardener may require the agility of a mountain goat to keep from toppling over and getting hurt in the process. Because of this potentially dangerous situation, the creation of your typical hillside garden should be made with maintenance in mind. That is to say paths and slightly flattened areas should be formed in several places around the hillside for better footing lest the gardener should slip and fall down the slope in an untidy and ungraceful heap while weeding and planting.
Due to the natural force of gravity and the slope of a hillside garden, it is, for the most part, well-draining. Any abundant rainfall should fall away readily leaving behind a dry, porous soil. This usually means the soil within a hillside could be lacking in vital nutrients for most plants. Knowing this the gardener needs to use plants which thrive on neglect.
This is probably why a great number of Botanical Gardens around the country plant their sloping areas mostly with annuals, perennials, shrubs, small trees and spring blooming bulbs all of which need very little in the way of maintenance. These should be plants which are drought tolerant, not bothered by pests, resistant to disease, those who do particularly well in poor soil and in the case of annuals those that self-sow. The less time spent on a hillside garden the better. Getting plants that do all that will achieve this.
The best annuals for a hillside garden would be California Poppy, Nasturtium, Johnny-jump-ups, Sweet Alyssum, Forget-me-not, Coreopsis and Portulaca, among others. The actual planting of the annuals is very much the same as planting anywhere else. Taller plants should go towards the back or top of the hill with the smaller ones in front so all can be viewed at a glance with none being obstructed.
For the very rocky terrain, small pockets of soil should be made using the rocks as mini-retaining walls. Plants or seeds can also be tucked in between rocks for a natural look. Others can be planted to cascade down among the rocks and down the hill. Between the taller plants creeping and low-growing ground covers will fill the space nicely.
With a bit of the spirit of a mountaineer and this new knowledge any gardener can fill a once lackluster and virtually unusable sloping land into a wonderful annual hillside garden bursting with color. Best part is yodeling is completely optional.
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 For more amazing garden facts, a glimpse at an unfinished novel and amusing short stories visit http://www.helium.com/users/32782
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