Irvington SunSlope

Using Plants and river rock to create a sun sloped garden

This lovely sloped corner lot is a classic 100 year bungalow with outdated plantings, vining berries and raised beds. The owners envisioned a classic PNW perennial flowering garden in a naturalistic woodland slope with river rocks and a “quasi” rain garden. Let us help you with design, plant consultation and installation of your slope garden.

Vision:  This lovely corner lot in NE Irvington is a classic 100 year old bungalow with dated plantings and an unusual terraced sun slope facing south.  The owners wanted a classic PNW perennial flowering garden in a  naturalistic woodland slope with rocks and natural elements including quasi-rain gardens and river rock.

Existing Challenges:  Challenges include the terraced beds with a lot of river rock, boulders and pavers; A mixed assortment of edible and shrubs; Large overgrown camellias, an invasive buddelia and raspberries to remove; No pathways – limited access; and  Sunny south-facing slope.

Project Goals:

• Design a multi-seasonal flowering perennial garden 
• Utilize rain runoff for rain gardens to catch & store water 
• Re-purpose materials throughout the yard
• Remove older camellias, butterfly bush & spirea
• Install 3-5 larger boulders mixed with smaller boulders to create 5 clusters of rocks to stabilize to create vignettes
• Use river rock to mulch and enhance the boulder areas and use in rain gardens
• Extend sloped garden to line up with corner of house
• Incorporate deciduous and evergreen plants.