Suggestions for a backyard slope with partial sun

by Bob
(Lowell, MA)

Very pleased to have found your site.
Hoping you have some suggestions for a sloped portion of my backyard that faces west and gets little sun after the morning due to trees on the side and back of my property.

The area is about 8' to 10' from the retaining wall to the woods behind us. In the picture I've attached you can also see a concrete retaining wall on the adjoining property. Ideally I'd like to add some color back here and put in something that will eventually hide the wall once the foliage drops. Bird friendly shrubs would be a plus as I love to feed the birds.

I'm not opposed to taking out some of the small swamp maples in the back. There are two major shade trees (both giant oaks) that sit on the side and in the back of my property. One can be seen in the picture.

Hope you can help. Thanks for any advice.

Bob

ANSWER

Hi Bob,
If I understand you correctly, you want to plant the area above the wall which extends back about 8 to 1o feet. In addition, you would like to plant in front of the wall to soften it.
If this is not correct, let me know.

The length of the area above the wall looks quite long. If you wan to keep it more simple and less expensive, you could incorporate lots of landscape plants along with some pretty groundcovers.

Not sure if you have a deer problem. If you don't, I happen to love English Spreading Yews and Hydrangea. You could also use some Rhus aromatica 'Gro Low' which looks nice on a slope and provides great fall color. I would also definitely add a few ornamental trees such as Dogwood or White Birch.

Plant the shrubs in masses of 3 to five (minimum) each. Add in Ajuga, Pachysandra, and or Vinca for groundcovers.

In front of the wall, sue some additional shrubs...Butterfly Bush (perennial), Lilac, Little Princess Spirea, China Girl Holly, Viburnum. These are just some ideas. Again, plant them in groups, alternate varieties. See my page on Landscaping Ideas.