Last Updated on June 4, 2025 by PorchLightReading
How to build a tree ring on a slope. Plus a few other tips and helpful information you’ll want to know for a healthy tree.
After five years of turning this house into a home the front yard was looking a little bare. Sure, our grass looks nice but it’s empty. In my mind it needed shrubs, trees, and definitely some character.
My husband would disagree. To him adding anything would just be one more obstacle for him to mow around. So what did we do?
We bought a tree.
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Table of Contents:
- Tree ring materials list
- Tools for the project
- Important information before you dig
- Choosing the right location
- How large to dig the hole for a new tree and other tips
- How to get the perfect tree ring circle + The easy way
- How to build a tree ring on a slope
- Tips for a healthy tree
- Tree ring flower bed + weed barrier vs. no week barrier
This is our own personal experience. Be sure to seek professional advise and always practice tool safety.
It really didn’t take much convincing before he said yes. Besides being a bit inconvenient to mow around, he seemed to be looking forward to a tree with a bit of autumn color to liven our New England souls, in the south.
But when it came to the tree ring and flower bed, we had very different ideas in mind. Not only did we have different ideas, the conversation came to a screeching halt when he wanted to built it into the hillside and I had zero idea of what he meant by that.
HOW TO BUILD A TREE RING ON A SLOPE
Materials
- Concrete garden wall blocks (we used approximately 50)
- Leveling sand (optional)
- String or measuring tape
Tools
- Shovel
- Wheelbarrow
- Gardening spade
- Level
- Brick chisel (optional)
- Sledge hammer (optional)
Call 811 before you dig
Before you begin your project be sure to call 811 and have them mark any underground utility lines in the area. The call is quick and easy and within a few days someone will come by to spray (or flag) where the utilities are.
This is a free service and necessary to make sure you’re not cutting through or digging too close to water lines, electrical, natural gas, internet ect.
Choosing the right location
Decide on the location by taking into account root growth and size of a fully mature tree. Roughly lay out the bricks to the desired size of the brick tree ring.
Be sure to give the base of the tree plenty of room to grow along with additional room for any flowers or greenery for a tree ring flower bed.
How to plant a tree
- Dig a hole 2-3 times bigger than the root ball
- Remove tree from container and place in the hole, holding it at the base of the tree.
- Make sure the tree is level by examining it from several angles.
- Fill with dirt – just to the top of the root ball.
How to make the perfect tree ring circle the easy way
Once the tree is planted you’ll want to adjust the bricks to make a perfect circle. You can do this by using a measuring tape and measuring from the base of the tree to the bricks.
You can also use a similar method by attaching a string to the base of the tree and measuring around in the same manner.
How to build a tree ring on a slope
Start at the lowest point. Dig out the grass and set the first brick, keeping it level as you do so. At this point you can choose to use leveling sand (best for larger projects) or leftover soil from planting the tree.
Continue with this pattern, digging down and leveling, until the last brick begins to disappear into the hillside.
You can also gently tap the bricks with a sledge hammer to set them into place.
Continue with the next level, offsetting the bricks as you go.
At some point you might need to use a brick chisel for a brick to fit into place. Gently chisel a portion of the brick away and continue with the next level.
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Tips for a healthy tree
-Most trees have surface roots within the first 12 inches of the soil. When planting flowers and shrubs at the base of a tree, be sure to plant away from tree trunk to avoid damaging the tree’s roots.
-Do not pile mulch or soil at the base of the tree trunk as it can cause the tree to rot over time.
-Even though we bought this tree from a nursery, it’s come to my attention just how important trunk, or root, flare is. For a healthy tree you’ll want to locate were the top roots begin to flare out and make sure this part is exposed and not covered in soil or mulch. This allows the tree to anchor and receive the vital oxygen and nutrients it needs.
Tree ring flower bed
In addition to not planting too close to the tree’s base, you’ll also want to take into consideration the type of flowers you’ll be planting.
With our young tree it provides very little shade, so we can get away with flowers and plants that call for full sun. However, as the tree begins to grow it’ll provide more shade and we’ll need to switch to greenery that is more shade tolerant.
Landscape fabric vs. No landscape fabric- Landscape fabric acts as a weed barrier. In our experience it works well in the beginning but over time weeds begin to grow through and tear the fabric as we weed the garden.
You’ll also need to be careful with how much water can penetrate through the fabric as the tree will need all the water it can get to thrive.
This tree ring and flower garden was perfect for an easy weekend DIY project. It may be a little bit of an obstacle to mow around but with the tree ring retaining wall built into the slope, it looks purposeful and adds a bit of character.
Over time this Autumn Blaze Maple tree will grow up to 50 feet tall, giving us great shade in the summer and beautiful foliage in the fall. The perfect medium size tree for our front yard.
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Like this idea? Save this project to Pinterest for later!
This is one of the nicest designs for a small, formal tree rings. And no concrete! I would add though, that you should have exposed the trunk flare when you planted the tree (or anytime for established trees). As it is now, it’s not the healthiest setting for the tree.
Thank you Bill for the comment. You are absolutely right. Exposing the tree flare (where it transitions to roots) is good practice. We did purchase our tree from a local nursery and made sure to plant only up to it’s original exposure. However, the angle in which I took the photos with the flowers, is a little deceiving. The flowers are only planted where there was loose fill dirt and are a bit further away from the tree trunk then they look in the photos. Leaving the tree trunk as exposed as when we purchased it from the nursery. Perhaps we should have dug down a bit around the trunk after planting. I will add your advise under tips for a healthy tree! Thank you :-)