Hi Holly ...
Are you saying that this part of your property is very vertical ?
When I bought my house, what I call "the slope" was already planted by the previous owner, but I've found out the hard way, that the plants hide the drop offs and that in places, one could easily call sections of it a cliff.
Mrs. J planted four different kinds of junipers going across the whole slope and I am certain they play a big role in holding the slope in place. For me, they are no care plants. They even came through the third year of extreme drought without supplemental watering. I consider them to be work horse plants for the slope.
I only have to go up there every couple of years to remove volunteer pine trees and volunteer blackberries. Mrs. J kept them groomed, but I've let them just go natural and I like the look.
To manage erosion in the areas that are not planted, Mrs. J faced the slope with river rock. She did plant some irises and vinca up there, but I don't work at making either thrive. They kind of have to take care of themselves because I am working in other areas of the garden.
I do have a fence between the slope and the house pad, but it does not function as a retaining wall. Everything behind the fence is rocked.
I am glad I didn't have to plant the slope because it is all rock. Digging holes for plants would have just about killed me. Mrs. J must have had help ...
I know when people think of landscaping with junipers, they think, "Yuk ! How boring !", but with the mix of different cultivars going across the whole area, it's really quite interesting. There are a couple of forsythia shrubs, a couple of liquid amber trees and in the center, she planted a white fir.
These aren't the best photos, but they will give you an idea of what I am talking about.
The previous owner of my neighbor's property planted St. John's Wart and it has covered his slope quite well, but there are also junipers at the base. Both seem to control erosion problems.
I hope this gives you some ideas.
Smiles,
Lyn
