Throughout history, architects have used steps and levels to give a sense of arrival and to set off their buildings. St Paul’s Cathedral in London, for instance, would not be the same without the run of shallow, graceful steps leading up to it. They increase the sense of arrival and set the building above the mundane level of the street, both literally and metaphorically.

Within the realm of garden design, however humble the plot, changes of level can add enormous dynamism and movement, and even one or two steps can make a big impact: the view is interrupted and the eye is stimulated.

If you have a sloping garden, much thought and planning is needed to maximise the site’s potential and to limit the amount of work and expense required. Flat areas or terraces are the best way of dealing with a space that will have regular use, whereas planting can work well on the slopes between them.

Take advantage of the existing levels where possible, as moving large quantities of earth is time-consuming and expensive. You should consider redistributing the soil around the garden rather than removing it from the site.

Gardens that slope away from the house tend to open up views to the surroundings; ideal if you have a lovely view, but a problem if you have an eyesore on the horizon. A garden that rises from the house has excellent potential, offering a greater sense of enclosure and shortened views, which are easier to manipulate.

On a practical level, steps and terraces are not cheap to install, as they require good foundations and drainage, and must be expertly constructed, in case they collapse. You may need a landscape contractor to help you put them in — see your local Yellow Pages.

When you are considering putting in steps, they should not be too steep: an overall slope of 40 degrees or less is ideal. You should try to keep the proportion of riser (the back of the step) to tread (the flat bit) the same throughout, so there is less risk of tripping or falling if you are hurrying down them.

In a steep garden, a run of steps with landings or breaks in them is very useful for creating somewhere from which to view the garden, or catch one’s breath, as well as adding rhythm to the design. Handrails or balustrades are essential if there is any danger of falling.

Don’t make steps steep and cramped. Be generous with the treads and don’t make the risers too steep — between 4in and 6in is perfect for most situations. The steps should be in proportion to their surroundings and relate to any nearby buildings in their scale and size.

Many materials are suitable for steps that are set into the landscape: traditional brick risers and paving slab treads; rustic timber-log risers and gravel treads; concrete, sleek steel, patterned brick, timber decking, slate, tiles, stone any material that is weather- resistant, hard-wearing and will not become slippery.

If you need a ramp for prams or wheelchairs, it should have a gentle incline, certainly no more than a ratio of 1:12 (that is to say about 48in of ramp for every 4in of change in level). This means that ramps require much more space than a run of steps, but setting them in a zigzag may help.

Ramps are also a great bonus to the weary gardener with a wheelbarrow full of heavy compost or lawn clippings. If space is really at a premium, you might have to consider a stepped ramp, but keep the risers very shallow.

You can soften steps by planting into the join between the riser and tread. A fine example of this is the daisy steps at Hestercombe Gardens, in Somerset, designed by Edwin Lutyens and planted up by Gertrude Jekyll with petticoats of Erigeron karvinskianus, a cheerful little daisy that flowers from late spring to autumn.

Or you could borrow from the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain, where cool, refreshing water runs down the handrails of the steps.

There is an added design advantage inherent in steps: they have a completely different impact, depending on the viewer’s perspective. From the top looking down, only the treads are visible, and the sensation is more passive than when viewed from the bottom looking up, where the risers are the dominant feature and the visual rhythm of the steps is staccato and energised.

Unlike steps set into the landscape, freestanding steps act as a bridge between two levels and need not be solid constructions. For example, the impact of wrought-iron or welded-steel steps from the ground floor of a house to the basement garden below is completely different to solid brick steps. I find the former rather romantic — think of the love scenes in West Side Story played out on iron fire escapes.

Natural stone: CED, 01708 867 237, www.ced.ltd.uk; Silverland Stone, 01932 570 094, www.silverlandstone.co.uk Sandstone: Farrar Natural Stone 01535 602 344, www.farrarnaturalstone.com Tiles: Fired Earth, 01295 814 300, www.firedearth.com

Slate: Slate World, 020 8204 3444, www.slateworld.com

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