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Hillside Plant Selection Help Please
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Posted by sheilalo Portland OR (My Page) on Sat, May 12, 07 at 23:39
I have a steep slope in front of my house. We have heavy clay soil. I had creeping junipers growing great, but they all turned brown & began dying. I just tore them all out and want to start from scratch. I need a plant that is evergreen, grows in clay soil, creeping ground cover, low maintenance & pretty.
It is sunny to part sun when the sun does shine here in Portland Oregon. Looking at Aarons Beard, & Vinca major? I really don't want to do it again! I have to plant approximately 200 sqft. |
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RE: Hillside Plant Selection Help Please
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| I'd consider Cotoneaster dammeri, and specifically the cultivar 'Lowfast'. This is evergreen in our climate, is well adapted to hillsides and slopes, tolerates heavy soils and is virtually maintenance free. The Hypericum (aaron's beard or st. john's wort) is subject to rust, resulting in discoloration and loss of foliage, and is an extremely aggressive spreader. Unless contained, it will invade lawns or other planting areas. Vinca is not that great in a sunny situation and the planting of either of these IMO will not provide a very pleasing appearance over time. Plant the cotoneaster 16" on center in a diamond or zig-zag pattern and mulch in between. In two seasons you should have a densely knit planting totally covering the hillside. You will have to do a bit of weeding until the coverage is full, but mulching will help with that, as will making sure that most of the weeds are eliminated before planting. |
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