Rolling hills are great when they’re covered in lush grass, and you can roll down them like a carefree child. But as a gardener, they can often be an unwanted challenge in the landscape. Water rushes down in small yet violent streams, taking sediment with it and causing significant erosion. Many plants can’t take the pressure, causing you to either let the grass have it or be in a never-ending cycle of finding something that will be happy there. Hydrangeas look beautiful when layered across a steep slope, and they’re actually quite tolerant of sloping conditions. You can use rocks to build up the ground around your plants to ensure they don’t get washed away throughout the rainy months, just as gardening expert Jessica Zander from You Can Do It Gardening suggests.
When it comes to watering hydrangeas, keep in mind that they like moist soil but hate wet feet. One of the perks of sloping terrain is that it drains quickly, which is just what hydrangeas are looking for. Keeping hydrangeas happy on a slope is really just a matter of keeping them anchored into the ground, which is where the rocks can be put to use.
Use rocks to build up the slope
@youcandoitgardening
Without bolstering plants on a slope in some way, water just runs right off and so do the nutrients . With roots exposed some plants will do better than others but why not give them a hand. Or a few stones. If you have a significant slope you may need a retaining wall but this could help until you are able to install one (hint: they can be very expensive!), or even instead of having one. Watch where the water runs and try to divert it away from the base of the plant(s). Location: client’s house (video done Dannie) About me: I’m in zone 6 in the Boston area but almost all of the principles I talk about are applicable to any garden. Go to my profile and click the Linktree link to schedule consultations, download pruning guides, support this free content and more. I try to respond to as many questions as I can but I can’t get to them all so feel free to help each other out if you have information to share.🌸 #landscapedesign #gardendesign #gardeningtips #gardenplanning #gardening #gardening101 #gardeningforbeginners #retainingwall #stonewall #gardentok
♬ original sound – You Can Do It Gardening
Jessica Zander recommends using rocks to build up the soil. A rushing stream of water can remove dirt and nutrients, as she mentions in her TikTok. Zander says, “…put these stones in and kind of bolster the area. You’re not going to necessarily put in a whole retaining wall here, but at least around this one plant and any others you have on this slope.” In the video, she shows a beautiful sloping terrain with hydrangeas. There are some rocks present, but they don’t disturb the area; instead, they help support and take care of the hydrangeas, while enhancing the look and health of the plants.
Zander also shows that you can stack up rocks rather than cut them into the ground. They don’t need to be stacked up so high that they create a wall, but making them slightly taller than the soil level will help retain the important nutrients that otherwise would get washed down the slope. Rocks will not only help your soil maintain nutrients, but they can also add some visual interest to a sloping area with little vegetation.
