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lat4005

Ground cover suggestions?

lat4005
13 years ago

We have a hill in the back of our yard that I am wondering what I should do with to keep the runoff to a minimum. I have never really been a ground cover kind of person just because I am always afraid of what may be living underneath all those plants...snakes mainly. Any suggestions for something that may work? I would love something flowering but not sure if anything of that nature exists. Never really had to deal with this kind of thing because I have always lived somewhere flat.

Eventual plan would be to build a retaining wall and have beds built in but that will have to wait a while with all the other projects on the list. :)

Comments (7)

  • transplanted2scin07
    13 years ago

    You didn't mention if it is sun or shade, but either way, Liriope will work. It looks like fats blades of grass and has short spikes of purple flowers. You can find all green or variegated Liropes. It's not a very exciting plant, but will keep the runoff to a minimum, and the clumps can easily be divided each year to make more plants.

  • tamelask
    13 years ago

    There are at least 2 very similar threads that have been posted recently in here. Do a search and you'll get some great advice!

  • lat4005
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks! Will try to figure out how to do the search.

    And I forgot, it is full sun in the morning and shaded in the afternoons. Sorry about that!

  • tamelask
    13 years ago

    To do a search, just type a couple of terms into the search bar up towards the top, right under the ad. It'll bring up a list of threads that match your words. If the first one doesn't work, try different terms. Don't get too specific at first. So, for this one, i'd probably just do ground covers & see what pops up. If there are too many results or they don't match well enough when you read a couple, try popping in 'morning sun' too and see what comes up. It's worth it to read the whole thread, b/c sometimes the terms won't come up til later. Sometimes it can be hard to tell from the little snippet it shows you if it's a good one. You can specify the whole website or just this forum- i'd stick with this forum at least at first, b/c you know you're getting advice for your area, rather than anywhere in the world.

    oh, and you can save bits of really great threads in a thing called my clippings. It's off to the right side of every entry in a thread. Great way to have a cheat sheet of the info you find the most helpful!

  • lat4005
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks so much for the info on doing the search! That helps tremendously. I was too specific when I tried it on my own. :)

  • tamelask
    13 years ago

    So did you find some threads that would help?

  • lat4005
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I found some that had some plant ideas. I also came across a great idea in a book the other day I think I am going to try. Now I just have to figure out what plants they have in the photo! Thanks for asking...will have to post a before and after next Spring. :)