Solutions: Slope success

Hilly ground can present gardening challenges. A slope may be the only available space for outdoor living. But if it's not planted or stabilized properly, it can present a hazard in wet weather.

Marta Krampitz's Oakland, California, garden is gorgeous and usable. For years the steep canyon garden played host to weeds. Krampitz needed a place for her three young boys to run, and she wanted a prettier setting in which to entertain. And her garden needed to be low-maintenance, require only modest amounts of water, and be able to withstand damage from deer.

Landscape designers Richard Sullivan and Shari Bashin-Sullivan came up with the perfect solution, transforming Krampitz's hillside into a colorful tapestry of long-blooming perennials and shrubs. These include Aster x frikartii, 'Sunset Gold' breath of heaven, Geranium incanum, Loropetalum chinense 'Plum Delight', and Santa Barbara daisy. "The hillside is like a picture," Bashin-Sullivan says of the texture and colors.