Purple Cone flowers

Need a Landscaping Idea for Your Backyard Slope?

 

Updated 7-25-24

There are many ideas for enhancing a property with a backyard slope. From a natural looking retaining wall that holds back the grade in support of a pool, for example. Terraced gardens can also be lovely. Or natural stone steps between landscaped tiers bordered in lush plantings.

But, you can also get even more creative in your plans. A few years ago, Deck and Patio had clients whose property had an unused backyard hill area that sloped toward their house. And they asked us to think about how to best make use of it.

“At the top of the slope was a pool,” says our own Dave Stockwell. “Our idea was to take advantage of the slope by designing a stream beginning near the pool to run downward toward the house, ending in waterfalls and a koi pond. We also suggested a new patio and stepping stones as finishing touches.”

Stream Ending in Pond

Stream Ending in Pond

This Deck and Patio free-form pond and stream turned out to be a huge hit with the clients’ entire nature-loving family.

“Everyone loves feeding and watching the koi as they swim about. Because of good outdoor lighting, we even get to enjoy it all at night,” says the mother. “Plus, we can see it from inside our home and offices, too.”

The homeowners add they are particularly enchanted by the sounds of the waterfalls and the serenity everyone feels watching the fish swim. “It’s something we look forward to at the end of a long day.”

Frankly, the clients’ desire for a natural-scape in the yard helped inspire us at Deck and Patio,” owner Dave.

“Our design meandered the serene watery trail along their property’s formerly unused slope. Gravity is all that’s needed to move the water, so it’s also very energy-efficient.

The 35-foot-stream includes natural moss rock boulders and plantings, as well as river stones positioned along its banks; the stream ends where it tumbles over moss rock waterfalls into a 10’-by-15’ fish pond.

“The adjacent landscape is dotted with tall grasses like Miscanthus and evergreens such as Juniper Parsoni, giving a lush backdrop to it all,” adds Dave.

A natural setting such as this backyard project naturally attracts wildlife, which the homeowners particularly hoped would happen.

“The whole pond and stream areas attract so much delightful wildlife — like frogs and birds,” say the homeowners. “That really is one of our favorite things about having a pond.”

The Deck and Patio Company earned a Silver Award from the Northeast Spa and Pool Association (NESPA) for this project.

 

Free-form Pond and Stream:

Free-form Pond and Stream:

Deck and Patio used a flexible pond liner to create a free-form pond that would blend into the natural landscape. We planted Purple Cone flowers, Coreopsis and Spirea Anthony Waters, as well as tall grasses, and deep green ground cover. Together, the bursts of bright plant color and the sounds of moving water are soothing whether the clients are lounging by their pool, back patio or even in the house.

 

Creating Natural-looking Pondscapes:

Creating Natural-looking Pondscapes:

Having gone to “pond college” at Aquascape, Inc’s Pondemonium, Deck and Patio’s team has learned to look at a property from various viewing points — from wherever the clients will be looking at the water feature, including the house. Here we positioned an 11x 16 pond adjacent to their patio.

 

Pondscapes-Beautiful All Year Long:

Pondscapes-Beautiful All Year Long:

“Our clients found that in winter the moss rock boulders become sparkling ice sculptures so they enjoy their water feature all year-long” says Dave Stockwell. “Their backyard hill area sloped toward the house and a pool at the top of the hill. Our design allowed for the stream to begin near the pool and run toward the pond, patio, and house.”

 

Backyard Pondscape and Stream:

Backyard Pondscape and Stream:

Deck and Patio’s design called for an extended patio with bluestone stepping stones leading to the stream, natural stones to walk across it, and more bluestone on the other side up to the pool area.

 

 

 

Turning a Sloped Property Into a Water-side Walking Trail

While many of us love nature walks, we don’t all have easy access to hillside trails. Well, imagine being able to enjoy a nature trek any day you feel like it. It’s possible, if you’re fortunate enough to have an unused area of sloping yard.

That was the case for this award-winning project showcase. Their property had an unused slope near their patio. This allowed Deck and Patio to design/build a 35-foot-stream, with two stepping stone paths on either side, that gently moves along the grade solely with the help of Mother Nature’s gravity. We also positioned natural moss rock boulders and plantings, as well as river stones along its banks to make a perfect area for strolling, bird-watching, etc.

At the end of the stream, the water falls over moss rock into a 10-foot-by-15-foot fish pond. Here, the adjacent landscape is graced with tall grasses (e.g., Miscanthus) and evergreens such as Juniper Parsoni, which provide a lush backdrop to it all.

“The whole area attracts so much wildlife — like frogs and birds,” says the homeowner. “This is really one of our favorite things about having a stream and pond.”

The homeowners say they also enjoy the sounds of the waterfalls and the serenity they feel watching the fish swimming in the pond. “It’s something we look forward to at the end of a long day.”

This project earned The Deck and Patio Company a Silver Award from the Northeast Spa and Pool Association (NESPA).

 

Backyard Stream and Pond (Long Island/NY):

Backyard Stream and Pond (Long Island/NY):

This beautiful watery trail meanders along a formerly unused slope in the clients’ backyard. Gravity is a very energy-efficient way to make the water move forward. During winter, the moss rock boulders become stunning ice sculptures that beautifully extend the seasonal enjoyment of it all.

 

Landscaping Ponds (Long Island/NY):

Landscaping Ponds (Long Island/NY):

Deck and Patio added such lovely bursts of color as Purple Cone flowers,  Coreopsis and Spirea Anthony Waterers. In addition, tall grasses, deep green ground cover, along with the peaceful sounds of moving water, totally captivate the senses. All this can be viewed from the pool area, back patio, as well as the house.

 

Picture-Perfect Waterfalls (Long Island/NY):

Picture-Perfect Waterfalls (Long Island/NY):

It takes expertise and experience to position rocks in such a way as to coax water into waterfalls just like it happens in nature. Members of Deck and Patio’s team enjoy the woods and hillsides of upstate New York — frequently stopping and studying how water flows over rock, how plants crop up alongside of such water trails, etc.

 

Backyard Upgrades (Long Island/NY):

Backyard Upgrades (Long Island/NY):

Our design plan called for an extended patio with bluestone stepping stones leading to the stream, natural stones to walk across it, and more bluestone on the other side up to the pool area.

 

Nature-Loving Family (Long Island/NY):

Nature-Loving Family (Long Island/NY):

This stunning free-form pond is a huge hit with the clients’ entire nature-loving family. Everyone enjoys feeding and watching the vibrant koi as they swim about in it. “We even get to enjoy it all at night,” says the wife. “And we can see it from our home and offices, too.”

 

 

 

 

Worthy of a Fairytale : Award Winning Project Showcase

Children are natural enthusiasts of local landscapes, who delight in a brook or stream they can wade in, collect pollywogs from, or skip stones along. Even when a stream isn’t nearby or accessible to them, children tend to let their imaginations take them to enchanting outdoor places — through books, movies, etc.

In the case of this project showcase, we can not say what inspired the clients’ desire for this backyard stream and pond. We suspect, however, that a generous degree of childlike enthusiasm underpinned their plans and hopes.

The “Fairytale” Project

The clients’ property had an unused slope near their patio. This allowed the 35-foot-stream we added to move along with the help of Mother Nature’s own gravity. Natural moss rock boulders and plantings, as well as river stones, were positioned along its banks.

The stream ends where it tumbles over moss rock waterfalls into a 10-foot-by-15-foot fish pond. Here, the adjacent landscape is graced with tall grasses (e.g., Miscanthus) and evergreens such as Juniper Parsoni, which provide a lush backdrop to it all.

“The whole area attracts so much wildlife — like frogs and birds,” says the homeowner. “That is really is one of my favorite things about having a pond.”

The homeowners say they also enjoy the sounds of the falls and the serenity they feel watching the fish swimming. “It’s something we look forward to at the end of a long day.”

This project earned The Deck and Patio Company a Silver Award from the Northeast Spa and Pool Association (NESPA).

 

Backyard Stream and Pond (Long Island/NY):

Backyard Stream and Pond (Long Island/NY):

This beautiful watery trail meanders along a formerly unused slope in the clients’ backyard. Gravity is a very energy-efficient way to make the water move forward. During winter, the moss rock boulders become stunning ice sculptures that beautifully extend the seasonal enjoyment of it all.

 

Landscaping Ponds (Long Island/NY):

Landscaping Ponds (Long Island/NY):

Deck and Patio added such lovely bursts of color as Purple Cone flowers,  Coreopsis and Spirea Anthony Waterers. In addition, tall grasses, deep green ground cover, along with the peaceful sounds of moving water, totally captivate the senses. All this can be viewed from the pool area, back patio, as well as the house.

 

Picture-Perfect Waterfalls (Long Island/NY):

Picture-Perfect Waterfalls (Long Island/NY):

It takes expertise and experience to position rocks in such a way as to coax water into waterfalls just like it happens in nature. Bill Renter, our Outdoor Living Expert, has been passionate about the outdoors since he was a child. Even today, he spends every chance he can walking the woods and hillsides of upstate New York — stopping and studying how water flows over rock, how plants crop up along side of such water trails, etc.

 

Backyard Upgrades (Long Island/NY):

Backyard Upgrades (Long Island/NY):

Our design plan called for an extended patio with bluestone stepping stones leading to the stream, natural stones to walk across it, and more bluestone on the other side up to the pool area.

 

worthy-of-a-fairytale-award-winning-project-showcase-gardening-landscape-outdoor-living

This stunning free-form pond is a huge hit with the clients’ entire nature-loving family. Everyone enjoys feeding and watching the vibrant koi as they swim about in it. “We even get to enjoy it all at night,” says the wife. “And we can see it from our home and offices, too.”

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