Shady slope
I’m struggling with what to do with the garden. My boyfriend and I are almost certainly moving out of the country in a couple of years. We’re currently building an apartment over the garage in the back which we hope to start renting out in the near future and when we leave we would rent out the main house as well. In the meantime I’d like to do some gardening/landscaping but need to tailor it to something that can be maintained by a landscaping company. I’ve been rethinking things in the front, trying to keep it as low maintenance as possible, but what I’m faced with right now in the back is a bit more immediate.
Our lot has a pretty steep slope and we’ve had to tear up what’s there to move soil around the house and change the grade for drainage. I wasn’t planning on doing much back there but seeing how it’s bare soil I figured I’d try to replace the grass with something native or at least low water and while I’m at it maybe do something a bit more ornamental in the corners and along the fence. I don’t want to go crazy, especially with expenses and I’ve found a few places where I could buy seed relatively cheaply. I’m also looking for plants that would survive simply on rainfall once established as I wouldn’t expect any tenant to have to maintain it.
I’m in Tennessee, zone 7A, where the summers can get really hot and dry with periods of frequent heavy downpours. And it’s pretty heavy clay back there. Erosion control will likely be an issue as well. The pictures show late afternoon/early evening, which is when the very back gets any sun, the side gets a lot more during the day. We’re going to bring in a bunch of gravel for a driveway/parking so that will cut the back into two sections. On the fence side I was thinking about river oats or another similar grass that can handle shade/drought and can be left to its own devices. Around the apartment I’m considering moving some hostas, heuchera that can be mainly left alone that aren’t all that happy where I have them now. In other locations, along the fence and in places that will get a little more sun, wild columbine, possible vines and I’m not ruling out ivy. Does anyone have experience with similar type conditions? Here are some pictures to show the space. We may add a step along the side to cut the slope there a bit.
