Ground cover for a shaded hill?

March 5, 2006 2:47 PM

What can I plant to cover a well shaded, steep hill?

The back part of my property has a pretty steep slop. About half the hill has grass and various shrubs on it. However the other half is very well shaded by a large oak, holly, and pine. The soil is a red, heavy, clay rich mix common to Northern Virginia. What can I plant that will cover the clay and, hopefully, stand up to my two dogs? I'm wanting something to grow to reduce the amount of red mud my dogs can track in during the wet season.

posted by onhazier to home & garden (15 comments total)

my dad used "tiger lilies" for a steep hill, although it was sandy soil, not clay

no maintenance required ... easy to transplant, just about impossible to kill ... in a few years they'll cover the ground ... and they're good looking when they blossom

look in ditches by the roadside, that's where he found them
posted by pyramid termite at 3:01 PM on March 5, 2006

Not being familiar with the plants that will grow in your area at all, I will suggest calling the local gardening store and asking what they recommend. You might also specifically ask about plants native to the area that would work well, as such plants are naturally suited to the environment. You don't want to be out watering, fertilizing, pruning, and otherwise doing high garden maintenance on a steep shady slope!
posted by ilsa at 3:03 PM on March 5, 2006

Pachysandra? English Ivy? Virginia Creeper?
posted by Ken McE at 3:57 PM on March 5, 2006

Pachysandra - grows in the shade, works in clay, proliferates. Oh, and a sufficiently large patch of pachysandra will consume an infinte number of baseballs.
posted by plinth at 4:07 PM on March 5, 2006

I've got pachysandra, the stuff is so low maintenance you can safely ignore it for years.
You might also consider some kind of low-growing evergreen. I don't know about your area, but the local plant places would. If they have one that grows well in shade, it would cut down on erosion, and I would think the prickly feel would discourage the dogs from bouncing into it barefoot.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 4:36 PM on March 5, 2006

Can you call up your town's wetlands officer? Even if you don't have wetlands at the bottom of your hill, wetlands officers are super-experts on ground covers that will keep dirt on the slope. The wetlands officer definitely knows the answer to your problem; it's just a matter of getting him/her to talk to you.

Sorry I can't be more helpful, but I don't know anything about clay mixes specifically. Want to move to New England and ask this question about a new hill?
posted by booksandlibretti at 4:44 PM on March 5, 2006

Anything but this.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 7:31 PM on March 5, 2006

English Ivy will swallow the hill whole. It ain't kudzu, but it is tenacious. I have been trying to kill some ivy that was prying our house open for two years now. It just keeps coming back...
posted by Savannah at 9:43 PM on March 5, 2006

Hardy varieties of rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis) is used for this sort of thing in Southern California, grows like a weed, and has the benefit of being tasty with lamb. If that hill doesn't freeze, it might be a good choice.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:05 PM on March 5, 2006

Please don't plant ivy. Please.

Stick some pachysandra in there. Intersperse some rhododendrons and their cousins, azaleas. Get yourself some nice organic pine mulch to cut down the weeds and edge it with some shrubs and monkey grass.
posted by Pollomacho at 7:45 AM on March 6, 2006

Rosemary grows abundantly in Capitol Hill yards, so I know the climate's right for at least some varieties. I've seen it used as a hedge here, but not for ground cover. Still, it may be worth further investigation.
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:47 AM on March 6, 2006

I will concur that rosemary does grow well in the District and surrounds, however it usually needs some good sun to really take off here. In the natural, shady forest floors of the region you find rhododendrons growing happily. Azaleas are rhododendrons that also happen to put out fantastic flower displays in the mid-spring. A great place in the DC area to buy rhododendrons and azaleas is the Friends of the National Arboretum (FONA) plant sale on April 29th (28th if you are a member). Its also a great place to get advice on tricky spots and a good time to check out the arboretum.
posted by Pollomacho at 7:58 AM on March 6, 2006

Thanks for all the suggestions. I can not stand Kudzu so no worries there. The azaleas on that side of the yard do not grow well. I'm not sure if they don't like being near the pine trees or just what it is. But they are small and mostly dead. Vinca is an option as is the Pachysandra. My favorite nursery should be opening soon for spring. So, I'll do some nosing about there as well as checing out the National Aboretum's sale. Thanks for the tip, Pollomacho.

In short, the goal is to cover the hill to a) reduce erosion, b) make it look pretty and c) reduce the mud being tracked into the house. More suggestions are welcome.
posted by onhazier at 10:51 AM on March 6, 2006

By the by, Pachysandra should be free. I see frequent spring/summer ads from people who ask you to dig it up and haul it away. It proliferates really well.

You could also do Lily of the Valley if you want low cover. It also likes shade and proliferates. Plus it has pretty little berries and every part of it is poisonous! Oh wait, that's not really a plus, is it?
posted by plinth at 11:38 AM on March 6, 2006

Azaleas/rhododendrons aren't particularly dog-friendly; the leaves contain an irritant.
posted by ikkyu2 at 12:11 AM on March 7, 2006