Advice needed for hillside planting.
Patty McNamara
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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Patty McNamara
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
What Can I Plant As Low Groundcover on Hillside In West Virginia?
Comments (1)It's a pretty broad question and some of the variables still undefined, so I'm not sure how specific one can get. There are MANY plants that would work, although some are not specifically indended as groundcovers. The amount of sunlight and the soil conditions and steepness of the slope will be the primary determinates, but I don't see why you couldn't maintain your cottage garden style throughout this area as well with a careful selection. If enough sun, things like dianthus, creeping phlox, even groundcover (sometimes sold as flowercarpet) roses would work. For fragrance, dianthus is a great candidate, as is sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) or lily of the valley (Convallaria majalus), but those two prefer some shade. The attached link will connect you to a factsheet on GC's for West Virginia, as well as a number of plant-specific resources. Remember that a primary attribute of GC's is to spread and cover some real estate, so be prepared to deal with some aggressive, spreading behavior with certain species, but with attention, all can be controlled and contained. As to deer resistance, IME they will taste pretty much anything and depending on other fodder available, can dine quite heartily on even those plants with a reputation for deer resistance. Once you've made some lists of choices, I'd double check with local sources for those that are the least palatable. Here is a link that might be useful: groundcover resources...See MoreNeed advice on hillside landscape
Comments (1)The hill does not look so bad so I think you have a lot of options. The phlox and the muhly grass would like nice. Sedums will be able to handle dryness as will bee balm. Various prairie flowers would probably look great....See MoreNew prairie/savannah planting on hillside
Comments (13)OK, I think I get it froggy. I haven't read 'Miracle Under the Oaks' yet but i kind of get your drift. I think I see signs of it in our back field that is only bushhogged once a year. The last picture from my original post was taken in that field. There I see butterflyweed and partridge pea and mountain mint and other possible original remnants of what was once there. I know that the "Cedar Glades" and the "Big Barrens" are part of this area where I live and there are all sorts of prairie remnants in clearings between forested areas. Knowing the history has sparked my interest in restoring some of these areas in my small way. So let me ask you, how would you manage the area I'm asking about, the sinkhole area that has been so abused and disturbed. It is not forested, though it may have been at one time, and it was probably never plowed, given the steepness of the hillsides and the fact that a sinkhole lies at the bottom of those hillsides. Historically sinkholes were left alone, or used as dumps. Our underground streams cause many sinkholes to just give way, and as farmers here know now as they did then, they can swallow up livestock. In fact there was a newspaper article last year about a horse that had to be rescued from someone's field when a sinkhole just opened up one day and the unlucky horse ended up at the bottom of it! So I'm thinking that there may in fact be native grasses and forbs that like our calcareous soils and are associated with sinkhole areas. I think Mammoth Cave has some info on that but I have not checked it out. I've also never been there, caves kind of creep me out! Anyway, do you think our method of cutting and burning will help? One or the other? What about using Roundup in the early spring to get rid of the blackberry and poke? I did read an article about using Roundup early enough in the season to kill the cool season grasses yet not disturb the warm season grasses. I think timing was crucial in their findings. Their emphasis was on pastures but some info is still relevant. If you'd like, check out the link below. Here is a link that might be useful: converting pastures to tall grass prairies...See Morehillside & yard over-run with weeds - any advice ?
Comments (2)You could try seeding with a wildflower mix mixed with sand and just let it go. I use the false strawberry as a living mulch in part of my yard then pull as I put in a plant. I have a problem with my front slope to the road 10 ft tall. I am slowly filling it with plants that need little care but expand by their roots such as peonies, various goldenrods, asters etc. The only problem I am finding is the trees that sprout on the slope. I have slid down the slope several times while cutting them out....See MoreNHBabs z4b-5a NH
5 years agoSigrid
5 years agomad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
5 years agoUser
4 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
4 years ago
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