6 tiered garden ideas for a multi level garden

Simple tiered garden ideas

Tiers made from sleepers

In areas with fairly shallow slopes, sleepers often offer a cheaper way to create a natural aesthetic in a tiered garden than using other materials such as bricks. Pressure treated softwood sleepers should be long-lasting, but avoid reusing railway sleepers are these are likely to have been treated with creosote and can cause health issues.

• Buy treated sleepers from B&Q, Travis Perkins and Wickes

Tiers with steps

Add steps between tiers to allow for easy movement between levels and create a focal point in your garden. Aim to use the same or complementary materials for steps and retaining walls to provide continuity. Above, the colour of the bricks blends with the stones used for the gabion retaining walls. Make sure any bricks used are durable enough for the situation.

• Buy stones and bricks from B&Q, Stone Warehouse and Wickes

Steep tiered garden ideas

Sunken patio

Use tiers to mark out zones in the garden with different functions. A sunken patio surrounded by retaining walls provides a secluded space where you can relax, eat and enjoy the planting. Here the lush foliage creates a vibrant, intimate atmosphere as if you were in the middle of a rainforest.

• Buy foliage plants from Crocus, J.Parker's and Van Meuwen

Hidden tiers

In an informal garden, hide tiers beneath plants to create a cascade of foliage and flowers down the slope. Grasses and ground cover plants are particularly useful in this situation.

• Buy grasses and ground cover plants from Crocus, Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants and Sarah Raven

Small tiered garden ideas

Feature Wall

Turn a retaining wall into a feature by adding wood to make an insect habitat or building a gabion wall. This creates style and interest in a structure that might otherwise be imposing and unattractive. Don't collect dead wood from local woodland or nature reserves as this damages wild habitats and belongs to the owner of the woodland.

• Collect wood from the garden, contact a local tree surgeon or buy wood for insect habitats from Etsy

Modern rendered tiers

Create a modern, minimalist look with walls made of rendered concrete. This is long-lasting, but any structure built with concrete has a significant environmental impact. More environmentally-friendly options include wood and reclaimed materials.

• Buy render for walls from B&Q, Travis Perkins and Wickes