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![]() | ![]() | ![]() Planting and watering; a soaker hose was laid under the mulch to keep the plants irrigated during the summer |
![]() Liz enjoying her plants | ![]() BEFORE | ![]() AFTER |
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![]() | ![]() | ![]() Emily watering in the new plantings |
Sun- lovers Slopes
Slope 1: Irvington
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The previous owners used this south-facing sunny slope as their vegetable garden, with homemade terracing and pathways -- a DIY project that used a lot of mismatching materials. We cleaned up the space, removed the large shrubs blocking the windows, and re-shaped the slope to look naturalistic with boulders, a mosaic of rocks, and miniature rain gardens to catch roof run-off from the downspouts. Plants were selected for their ability to handle south-facing heat and fast drainage on a slope, while offering lush color and texture, year-round interest, and pollinator benefits. This garden is in a high-traffic walking area and the owners love that it offers a riot of seasonal color to passerbys.
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Slope 2: Boise
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It was painful for these homeowners to keep coming home to a monstrous 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 nature-scaped element to the garden, and a small rain garden helps mitigate run-off from the disconnected roof downspout. What once was a lifeless hedge is now a Backyard Habitat certified garden!
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LOCATION
Irvington + Boise,
NE Portland
GARDEN GOALS
- Drought and heat tolerant plants for sun-soaked slope
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- Removal of old materials/plants
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- Habitat plants
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- Beauty for frequent passerbys​
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- Low maintenance