Is there some sort of ground covering I could plant that would make my life easier?
The pictures don’t do the steepness justice. It’s crazy steep and impossible to mow and extremely difficult to use a trimmer on.
Any suggestions?
Location is in Western NC.
by ChaosRainbow23
21 Comments
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
I LOATHE this yard.
I wish I could just plant grass and mow it, but that’s not an option.
The least amount of maintenance the better.
This is only 3 weeks worth of weeds.
Lately I’ve been going scorched Earth on the weeds with spray and I lay down weed preventer heavily. I don’t like spraying chemicals all over the place, but I cannot keep up otherwise.
It’s really aggravating. Lol
Thanks again for your input!
Vinegar and water 50/50 kills any thing.. grass included..
Stake down black ground cover landscape material , which has drainage holes, then mulch or decorative gravel/ stone..
If it really steep.. do it in mini step terraces..
Otherwise consult a nursery specialist on GC spreading perennial/ self reseeding plants like moss rose or hens and chickens.
So Many options exist!!
I’d check in with your local university or county extension service online for lists of plants native to your area and call about soil testing to identify specific conditions that may be preferable for one thing over another thing.
I was able to get a $100 credit towards plants to prevent erosion and restore habitat loss for native species. Also some seeds for woodland flowers suited to my soil needs.
If you’re looking at an easy solution for maintaining erosion while adding some flow to that hill, I’d suggest the use of Fine Fescue.
Easy to seed, ya’ don’t need to mow it, helps prevent erosion, and is shade tolerant. If left unmowed, it’ll add a smoothing texture to that hill there.
There are lots of other great suggestions in this thread including making it a wildflower bed or making use of erosion resisting groundcover. Types I’m most familiar with in landscaping include Periwinkle and Pachysandra. I’m partial to Periwinkle myself, especially in shady areas. The flowers it puts out is a nice touch in spring/early summer.
Creeping Juniper
I noticed the angle of grade by the tree to ground angle..
That’s too steep to mow..
Step terraces like a farm field on a hill is your best bet..
In my opinion
Kudzu works well here in the South. Don’t even need to water or fertilize.
Blue pacific junipers and the best thing, they are round up resistant.
Go ask over on r/nolawns they’re great with lawn replacement substitutes.
You think *that’s* too steep to mow?
I’ve heard creeping thyme is good but haven’t used it myself
Big bluestem, muhli grass, and sea oats are all pretty good grasses to grow because they are native and hardy. You dont mow them, and they all have attractive seedheads that develop. Some nurseries carry them, usually the more environmentally friendly ones, eg not Home Depot garden center. You can also buy the seeds online and rootstock online.
Muhli grass is the easiest to find because of the pink foliage. Sea oats is the smallest but is the most shade tolerant and has a cool effect in the wind. Bluestem is the largest and can grow into giant bush if you give it enough water and sun.
I’d probably do a retaining wall in line with that fence there
Kudzu
Plant some junipers. Will likely need something to help prevent erosion. Add some ajuga for ground cover.
Carpet/rug juniper
Pueraria montana
Same here and have the hill covered with evergreen vinca. Need to investigate what does well in your area though.
Plant whatever grass you want and proceed to the tip of the hill. Attach a rope/winch to a push mower, send it down, pull it up, continue the process..
Just kidding… Kind of..
You could plant some sort of wild flowers
Vinca minor, juniper, non variegated liriope
Looks like you live somewhere near me (CT) I have Japanese pachysandra which grows in all my beds and generally keeps weeds out. It spreads fast and generally avoids my lawn. I have a hill similar to yours that is all pachysandra and several other areas that are covered in it.
It’s very good for erosion control since it has deep root systems that spread everywhere. Biggest downside is that it is really hard to remove and it seems to spread everywhere not presently occupied (leaves lawns alone for some reason). Even roundup won’t get rid of it. You have to dig it out.