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How do you design a sloping garden?

By working on the levels first: terraces, low walls and steps create flat spaces, and the slope becomes an asset.

Florence Merrien, garden designer and creator in the landscape and a graduate of the École nationale supérieure de paysage, will guide you.

Talk about your project
Watercolour of a garden drawn by FLAURE: winding paths, flowering beds and a planted dome

A slope is a garden told in tiers: at each level, a new view and a mood to discover.

Designing sloping ground

Turning the slope into a landscape

Looking for a landscape architect for a sloping garden? We draw the terraces, low walls and steps, and manage the water that runs off. Neither obstacle nor constraint: the difference in level becomes the material of the project. We work it level by level, so that the garden can be lived in, walked through and looked at.

  • Terraces and levels

    Terraces to settle on

    Flat, usable spaces where you can sit at a table, grow things or pause to watch the garden fall away below.

  • Low walls and retaining walls

    Low walls that hold the earth

    Low walls or gabions, designed with a structural engineer to hold the ground safely.

  • Steps

    Steps that invite you up

    They link the levels and set the rhythm of the walk: each step opens a new perspective.

  • Runoff

    Water tamed

    We slow it down rather than drain it away: it soaks in, feeds the plants and limits erosion.

  • Bank plants

    Roots to hold the slope

    Ground cover plants and shrubs chosen to stabilise the bank, and to flower while they work.

Frequently asked questions

How do you design a sloping garden?

By working on the levels first: depending on the slope and the soil, we choose a planted bank, terraces, low walls or gabions, linked by steps or paths. The garden becomes a series of atmospheres, with ever-changing views. We design these gardens on the hillsides of the Yvelines and the Hauts-de-Seine, as elsewhere in France.

Planted bank or retaining walls: which to choose?

A planted bank suits gentle slopes: ground cover plants and shrubs with dense roots hold the earth. On steeper ground, low walls, gabions or terraces make it safe and create usable areas. For major retaining works, a structural engineer checks the stability.

How do you manage runoff in a sloping garden?

By slowing the water down rather than draining it away: terraces, planted swales, permeable ground and dense planting help it soak in and limit erosion. The garden stays cooler, and needs less watering.

What our clients say

Justine

The FLAURE agency created our garden last year. We are very pleased with the result and enjoy watching our garden grow. The agency was highly competent and always available, and met our needs and wishes while bringing fresh ideas. You can trust them! Thank you again.

Brigitte

I am very satisfied with the FLAURE agency’s work. (…) The proposal took into account the north, north-east and south-east exposures, to suggest suitable plants, as well as the constraints (co-ownership rules, a concrete slab, etc.). The idea of a journey through the garden that echoes our interior decoration is spot on. Finding landscapers and metalworkers for a flower dome let us save money by staying local, with adjusted quotes. Supervision of the works allowed the final corrections to be made and as much of the existing garden as possible to be saved. I can’t wait for spring to see it all in bloom!

Carine

I called on the FLAURE agency after buying a plot of land for our future house. We wanted to plan ahead and start creating a wooded area, with shade and fruit trees, a hedge to screen us from the street and space for a vegetable garden. The team took our needs into account and designed a project that suited us. Their drawings helped us picture the result. The works were well run and lived up to our expectations. In short, thank you FLAURE!

Our expertise

Our other areas of expertise

  • Designing a garden with a pool

    A pool that settles into the landscape: decking, planting, shade and privacy.

    Design a garden with a pool

  • How do you plant a clay soil garden?

    A heavy soil that holds water: plants chosen to work with it, never against it.

    Plant a clay soil garden

Shall we talk about your project?

Would you like to landscape your park, garden, terrace, patio or balcony?
We work in Paris, the Yvelines and the Hauts-de-Seine and, on request, anywhere in France and in neighbouring countries.

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