Planting a garden on a slope is a challenge: water runs off, plants don’t establish themselves easily there and soil erosion can be a problem.

I am here to help.

  1. Choose plants that establish quickly and put a root down deep: If your #1 goal is to prevent soil erosion and to ‘hold soil’ in place native sumac is very effective [which is why the highways people use it so much] but it can be invasive, if left unchecked.
  2. Other plants that establish well on slopes are cotoneaster, junipers and even ‘Pavement’ roses.
  3. Mulch.. a layer of cedar or pine bark mulch helps to hold soil in place. I use a lot of this around my plants after planting for this purpose. It also makes watering easier as it absorbs moisture readily. Use at least a 6 cm. layer of mulch for this to work well.
  4. Water: Use a ‘soaker’ hose to ‘bleed’ water slowly into the slope while your new plants become established. Choose from the synthetic fabric soaker hose or the porous rubber model that ‘oozes’ water out of its pours. Note that these products work best when placed under mulch around the root zone of your new plants.

For serious, long term solutions consider retaining walls made of timber, fabricated stone or natural stone.

Plants that help stop erosion: Staghorn Sumac & Cotoneaster

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