Guest Author - Katelyn Thomas

Hilly areas can be hard to maintain, especially if they are too steep for a lawnmower. They can also be very unsafe to mow. I have one hill in my yard that actually almost killed a man before I bought the house. He was permanantly wheelchair bound from his injuries.
Hills in shady or partial shade locations can be very tricky, since the plants in that area are competing with trees for water and nutrients. In addition, this particular hill is right beside a road, so plants need to be salt tolerant and able to withstand some pollution.
I began to plant the area by removing sod and laying down landscape fabric. I made sure to leave a 6-8 inch space below the fabric for the snow plow. If you prefer, you could remove all of the sod and then treat the area with Preen or a similar herbicide that stops seed germination, but I prefer to garden organically.
With the fabric in place, I began to look for plants that can handle shade and are very hardy. I chose several hosta varieties, euonymus, Irish moss and some of my favorite sedums. In addition, I selected several more delicate shade lovers for the top of the hilly area, such as pachysandra.
I planted the euonymus near the bottom of the hill, but left plenty of room for the snow plow to run off the road. Above these plants, I placed the hosta, alternating varieties for interest. I added irish moss (This plant is extremely invasive, so use with caution.)and sedums to a section of the hill that is part sun.
Now, instead of an area filled with sparse grass that is dangerous to mow, I have the beginnings of an attractive shade garden. When it fills out in 3 to 5 years, it will be gorgeous.