10 Sloping Garden Ideas

Harriet Goodacre

August 07, 2024

Contemporary tiled living room leading to a garden patio and a raised split level seating area

There are many elements needed to make a garden look great year-round however, some of these are simply unpractical when you have a downward sloping garden. So, we’ve compiled 10 split garden ideas that we love to help inspire you to renovate your garden.

What is a split-level garden?

So, first off, what do we mean by a split-level garden. Typically, those that live in more rural, hilly areas won’t have a flat back yard. It will naturally slope upwards away from the back of the house and can sometimes be quite steep.

This presents a few challenges, the first being how to utilise the space, then maintaining it but also what plants to use given that moisture tends to run off quicker than flatter land.

Creating different levels within the garden, via landscaping, breaks up the slope and allows the garden to be more accessible. Most commonly, people will then zone these different split levels according to how they want to use the garden.

Small waterfall cascading down a sloped domestic garden

1. Slanted Garden Ideas For Minimalists

By a ‘minimalist’ we mean those that love a garden and want to spend time in it but have absolutely no desire to do any actual gardening, and therefore the design is practical, low maintenance and all in the landscaping.

One cool idea we’ve seen (via Sunset) is to turn your garden into a beach! This playful capture of the seaside dunes is certainly low maintenance outside, but perhaps requires a little more cleaning when you come in from a sandy patio!!

But, if you have a particularly steep slope, why not transform that slope into a stunning waterfall. It can be placed centrally with low maintenance with natural evergreen planting around the edges, providing tranquillity all year round. Ensure you have some sloped banks and stepping stones to the water, and you’ve created a beautiful spot for nature to inhabit too.

You can create a bridge out of outdoor tiles for easier access and then casually blend these tiles down into a patio formation nearer the back door for use in the summer. Large flagstones are great around the waterfall but not so hassle free for the patio so why not try an outdoor tile like Everscape, the Kemble range would work well amongst the natural aesthetic.

Image credit: Outdoor Happens

Natural stone steps leading downwards with low ground covering plants on either side

2. Sloping Garden Ideas On A Budget

Another great one if you’re not too much of a gardener but also on a tight budget, you can keep the natural slope as is, just remove any grass and then plant it up with low creeping shrubs. They’ll wind their way down the slope, filling them gaps between landscaping. Simply install some steps going up to make it accessible. Super low maintenance and not too much landscaping to budget for!

The Everscape range can be cut precisely and thanks to the accompanying pedestals and edge trims, it’s even easier to create steps. Just cut some of the same tiles down to create the risers and ensure a solid, flat bed is underneath the pedestals.

Image credit: hello-hayley

Mini stone walls dictating levels in a sloped garden with neat planting

3. Split Level Garden Ideas With Mini Walls

Within the split levels of your landscaping, you could carve out larger sections to create seating areas, patios and even raised plant beds for vegetables etc. A great way to define the layers of a garden is to create a walled edge. If you don’t like brick or wood but don’t want the cost of render, then why not try Everscape Interlock, it looks like a stone split face providing a natural looking partition without the hassle of maintenance.

Weighing up the pros and cons of paving slabs and porcelain tiles? We’ve done the hard work for you in our dedicated blog post ‘paving slabs vs porcelain outdoor tile’.

Image credit: Home Hacks

Wood decking areas separated by gravel and vertical wood plant beds

4. Zoned Uneven Garden Ideas

When building in your layers up a sloped garden, the landscaping will look unnatural because it’s breaking up the natural formation of the slope. However, if you prefer the natural look then a great way to mitigate this is by adding in wood. Not only does the grain add more texture but the colourways will immediately blend with any type of planting as it’s a natural material.

This is a great decking area idea and one step up from this, to save you from maintaining the wood, would be to opt for Everscape Planks, the perfect mimicry of wood decking without ever having to reseal or stain it!

Image credit: Homify

Modern garden with Moroccan inspired low furniture sunk into a sloped bank covered in ivy

5. The Ideal BBQ Table Setting

If you’ve got a larger, steeper slope and don’t have that much space then creating higher zones with the use of climbing shrubs, like ivy or jasmine, are a great way to create a snugger seating area. It can almost feel sunken if the landscaping is right. A great way to achieve this is to create a built-in seating area within the partition so it feels part of the landscape itself.

We love these rustic coffee tables and surrounding poufs to give that olde-world Morocco vibe. Dress it up with muted colours, plenty of fabrics and intricate patterns.

Image credit: Pinterest

American outdoor BBQ kitchen integrated into a split level garden

6. The Dream Outdoor Kitchen

Like the sunken seating, working an outdoor kitchen into your partition wall is a great way to create your dream outdoor kitchen! For a blended look, it’s important to match your natural surroundings to the appliances your want to use. For example, here they’ve used a very light grey slate to blend with the stainless steel cooker and fridge door.

Another great way is to use harmonious tiles as a back splash to complete the look. If you’re keen on a pizza oven, why not blend it into a background of Cotto terracotta effect tiles.

Image credit: SF Gate

Close up of a bug hotel with expansive layers of natural textures

7. Living Walls

A huge trend we’ve seen continuing along the sustainability highway is a living roof, but a great sloping garden idea is living walls! Instead of standard brick or wood, you can create interesting and intricately constructed walls from old logs to create a huge bug hotel and then incorporate plenty of vegetation for other wildlife too.

It doesn’t just have to be logs either, variety is key here, it can include stones, clay, leaves, pinecones and bamboo canes. For more wildlife-friendly tips you can check out our how to guide.

Image credit: Homes and Gardens

8. Monochromatic Landscaping

An easy way to create a statement in the garden with hard landscaping is render. You can render walls and steps to match your patio tiles for a completely monochromatic finish, allowing it to stand out against the natural greenery. This is a great split garden idea if you’ve got a simpler layout that you want to follow. Give it a luxe feel with tiled edges on the wall that perfectly match your patio’s porcelain tiles.

Image credit: Garden Builders

Another great tip when designing a sloping garden is to experiment with the formation of your zones, for example, a curved design can better blend into the slope than sticking to the traditional square or rectangle. The great thing about using porcelain slabs for your outdoor patios is that you can cut them to any shape with the right cutter! Create a wooden curved wall and then butt up an Everscape porcelain tile to the edge and then break up the hard landscaping by adding a couple of plant pots.

9. Tips and tricks

Using the same tile throughout the garden, across paths and patios (and even waterfalls…) will create a cohesive scheme which can then allow you to experiment with different planting, lighting or styles of furniture in zoned spaces.

If you’re on a tighter budget then spread out those paving slabs and use a nice gravel stone in between, it doesn’t matter whether you want a rustic garden or a contemporary hideaway, the key to achieving the desired look is getting the right tone and type of pebble.

Finally, layer your planting and think about seasonality. Even if you’re not green fingered you’ll still want to look out across your garden year-round and enjoy it. Think about the height and position of your chosen plants to create structural interest throughout the year, a little research goes a long way!

Whatever your style, we’ve got an outdoor tile for you, peruse our outdoor tile section online now.

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