What to do with a steep garden

The Brief:

This project in Orpington, Kent is a great example of what to do with a steep garden slope.

A good part of this garden was fantastically maintained but the owners were struggling for ideas as to what to do with a very difficult steep shady bank at the rear end. Artificial grass was a great answer to this problem as once securely fitted it would need little maintenance plus it would also add a nice touch of colour to an otherwise dull area.

Building a rockery or a terrace could have been an option but getting the right types of plants and maintenance of plants on a steep slope could prove tricky.

Our Work:

In this particular project we began by moving over 6 tonnes of soil and reshaping the contours of the area to make it less severe.

One of the most important aspects of fitting the grass on a steep slope is making sure it doesn’t move once layed in place. To do this we fitted hanging timbers at the top of the bank. These were heavily concreted in to prevent any movement of the timbers and ultimately the grass. Fixing timbers were put in around the rest of the area. This is what we would also use to attach the grass to and to stop the base moving.

Type 1 was tampered into the bank followed by a top layer of granite dust. Once we were happy about the shape and the base being sufficiently tampered into place we added the membrane. The membrane is put on top in this case for if we placed it under the aggregates the stones would slide down the bank.

Finally the Outfield artificial grass product was fitted and heavily sanded to pin it to the contours.

Take a look at a more in depth article on installing artificial grass on a slope.