Emily's Native Slope Garden
It was painful for these homeowners to come home to a lifeless wall of juniper (dubbed “the death star”) surrounding their front yard, a highly visible corner lot adjacent to a popular park in a well-walked neighborhood. Knowing it would be difficult, expensive, and potentially disastrous to remove the entire root system of the junipers, we had the contractor cut the trunks at the soil base. The soil was surprisingly soft and quite plantable underneath: moist, shaded, and littered with decades of organic juniper duff. The juniper roots held the slope in place, while a plethora of native plants filled in between for a symphony of successive blooms to be enjoyed by pollinators and passerbys. Logs and boulders found by the owners are terraced into the slope for further reinforcement, adding a naturescaped element to the garden, and a small rain garden helps mitigate run-off from the disconnected roof downspout. If you have a massive hedge that has paralyzed you from starting a garden – it can be done!
LOCATION
Mississippi,
NE Portland
GARDEN GOALS
- get rid of juniper hedge (aka "The Death Star")
- plant mostly natives for wildlife habitat
- utilize plants that prevent soil erosion and manage water run-off on a steep slope
- year round blooms and interest for passerby's
 BEFORE |  AFTER |  Freshly planted |
|---|---|---|
 Mapping out garden beds |  |  Ken pointing out his magical mushrooms |
 A happy Ken |  Fly Agaric mushrooms popping up in the yard |  |
 |  A swale-like rain garden to hold water from the disconnected downspout and add a stream-like visual effect |  |
 |  Whimsical shaped rocks and uniquely colored flowers add to the magic |  Stepping stones allow walking through the garden for exploration |
 A curved berm to add height and contour. Plants will eventually grow tall enough to hide the porch slab |  Wonderful garden helper, Jackson, planting the Japanese forest grass |  Laying out the mosaic of colorful ground covers |
 Design Concept |  Plant inspiration |  Plant inspiration |
 Plant inspiration |