The slopes here clearly articulate they are full of water. Suckering cottonwood and prolific willow + alder sprouts make it fairly obvious. We cut in a water conveyance terrace / pathway to drain excess water away from the home down slope and to enhance the accesibility of the space. With just a bit of searching under the ivy, we found a distinct culprit of extra water as well. Pipes from the neighbor’s driveway and upper slope commons were draining mass amounts of water into this section of the hill, eroding soils and sublimating underground quickly. We altered the flow slightly and created armored spillways with retention basins to slow the flow and make best use of the precious resource so many people choose to drain away.
Existing downed trees were shifted to create viewpoints and a rustic “patio” of sorts within the forest.
The entire hillside was seeded with a very diverse set of locally native plants. Fingers crossed, flower pictures forthcoming!