Elevated Terrain: Optimizing the Landscape

With rolling meadow hillsides and natural grade changes, some of the most beautiful land plots come with the most difficult terrain. While an undulating landscape can pose its own set of challenges, it also offers an opportunity for multiple levels of stunning outdoor living space. These projects exemplify the magic that expert landscape architects can bring to a complex outdoor site.

Lynch Landscape & Tree Service

This steep-sloped backyard presented plenty of challenges for the team at Lynch Landscape & Tree Service. With much of the yard deemed unusable due to its verticality, it was an opportunity to get creative.

By cutting multiple terraces into this hill, the team was able to design multiple levels, complete with a linear fire pit, a bocce ball court, and a patio with an outdoor kitchen. Each level is surrounded by lush greenery, allowing natural separation between each space in the backyard.

Another steep yard space posed an opportunity to work with multiple levels and grade changes. By working with the yard’s natural grade, Lynch Landscape was able to create a pool deck level right off of the home’s kitchen. In addition, an elevated pavilion complete with a full outdoor kitchen, bar, dining area, living room, and fireplace creates a truly dreamy outdoor space for the homeowners to enjoy year round.

(Photography: Chris Major Photography)

The Narrow Lane Landscape Company

This artfully conceptualized landscape plan by The Narrow Lane Landscape Company demonstrates how change in elevation can present an idyllic backdrop of its own. Colorful plantings are layered into the hillside, complemented by fieldstone hardscape that offers a protected area for outdoor relaxation.

With meticulously crafted pathways and stone walls, each grade change offers a seamless experience from one outdoor area to the next. While working with sloped land might be challenging, it offers an opportunity to create interest, texture, and harmony within the landscape.

(Photography: Jeremy Puz and Fernando Batista)