Gardening on Slopes

Those gardeners who don't have to deal with slopes in Western North Carolina are a rarity. The rest of us have to manage and mitigate slopes in our landscape planning and planting. Left unattended, slopes become hazardous eyesores with ever-worsening erosion that can threaten the structures, plants, roadways and stream beds below. Designer Nina Shippen shares methods for measuring and assessing slopes, remedies to correct and prevent erosion, the use of plants and/or retaining walls as methods for slope stabilization. When to call in professional engineering and construction interventions will also be covered. Participants will be invited to send photos in advance of this onsite class to include in discussion.

Nina Shippen practices residential landscape and garden design through her company Hidden Road Landscape Design, which focuses on coupling the principles of healing gardens with sound ecologic practices to create satisfying gardens for her clients. A graduate of the landscape design program at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies, she has lived and gardened in Transylvania County since 2005.

Host or Publisher The NC Arboretum Adult Education Programs