Dear Steve,
We are in the process of building our retirement log home in the Western NC mountains (zone 6). Our 6&1/2 acre site is situated on a fairly steep slope. We need advice on what to plant on a 40 degree slope with a retaining wall feature. The area behind the house site has been terraced (two terraced areas above) with a 130 ft. long, 4ft. high retaining wall at the bottom behind the house. It is on the eastern side of the property high on the mountain slope and does not receive sunlight till mid-morning most of the year.
We are planning a japanese style garden in the area below the retaining wall. The area is in shade a good part of the day except for the mid-day sun and only for a couple of hrs. I am concerned with silt running off the face of the mountain when it rains and mucking up the area. What do you suggest for a rapid growing ground cover that is non-invasive.
Shall I try ornamental grasses or stabilizing shrubs that do well in drought conditions? Thank you for any help you can offer.
J. Metzger
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Hello J.,
There really isn’t going to be a quick fix for the slope. It will take a few years to get something established and then another few years to grow to fill in. Typical poor soil growers for shaded areas are going to be vinca, ivy, liriope (spreading varieties), pachysandra, and carex pennsylvanica sedge (a shade growing spreading grass). Most ornamental grasses will grow in full to ¾ sun, are not spreading, and must be watered regularly over their first year to establish their new root system.
Once you decide on what you will plant on the sloped area, you will need to water it in often with a sprinkler attached to your hose pipe. A good layer of straw will help keep the newly planted groundcover from washing downhill during the first rainstorm. To limit the washing of silt down to your area, you might want to bring in some extra bales of straw to line the area with, or put up some of the cloth that they use along the highways when doing construction.
I hope this gives you some ideas to build on. Thank you for your inquiry.
Cheryl Jones
