Client Overview
These Minnehaha Falls Landscaping clients were tired of mowing their hillside lawn every week. Most homeowners would agree that this is one of the worst chores, ever! In addition to the weekly dread, the couple also wanted a safe way to traverse the hill, as changes in their mobility were occurring.
Challenge
There are many great treatments for hillside control that don’t involve mowing. Our task was to find a solution that would be functional and low maintenance, while also esthetically pleasing. Retaining walls, bee lawns, and spreading shrub gardens are three great no-mow methods for managing a hillside. Our goal was to make choices that would best meet the needs of this family.
Solution
We stripped off the sod and turned the soil with shovels to reinvigorate it for rapid growth of our native perennial plantings. And by doing so, we also created healthy soil for bees. For easy access to the backyard and patio, we incorporated a staircase into the design. Spreading, blooming perennial gardens are a long-term strategy for controlling this hillside, so we went in that direction, with a blend of native blooming pollinator plants. Milkweed, Blazing Star, Calamintha, and Lobelia were our selections, along with native grasses, including Little Blue Stem. After planting, we covered the hill with premium mulch to provide a lovely aesthetic and help grow soil health over time. As a result, the hillside lawn became a butterfly garden filled with spreading native plants. In addition, this low-maintenance approach will feed bees all season long. This pollinator garden instantly started supporting over 50 species of Minnesota native bees. Excellent!
Results
These homeowners will never have to mow this hill again! They traded their grass for low maintenance hillside turf where butterflies and pollinators are invited to do their duty of bringing beauty to this garden space. The transformation is both fashionable and functional and will flourish over time.
“These homeowners never have to mow this hill again!”
– Russ Henry, Owner Minnehaha Falls Landscaping
