Behind the house is a rocky hill, about 12 ft. tall. On top of the hill we have planted Toyon, Snowberry and Coffee berry, all doing well with a little irrigation last summer.

On the slope of the hill, and into the top of the hill, Vinca dominates as well as Blackberry. We removed most of the blackberry last year because it was so invasive and taking over. I'd like to replace the Vinca with a ground cover to prevent erosion. I know we may never completely get rid of the Vinca, it grows amazingly well back there, but want to plant something native that may compete with the Vinca. Because we use drip irrigation for the shrubs, the side of the hill doesn't get any water in the summer, except for maybe every 2-3 weeks when I manually water to keep the Vinca perky. I'm not particularly fond of the Vinca because it gets out of control and chokes the other plants if not kept under control, and I would prefer something native. Thought about letting the blackberries take over, but I've gotten too many thorns in my finger and scrapes on my arms from the thorns just trying to keep it under control.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.
Barbara

We have removed lots of Vinca & Ivy manually, without herbicides. Its tough work because those plants grow very fast and furious. I just kept going out there every weekend and pulling new sprouts. Then I would spread tree chippings (mulch) 3-inches thick over the area. I used the oak tree chips (produced onsite during our tree maintenance) which I was told contains lots of tannic acid and is a great weed suppressant.

Now I'm trying to figure out what natives to replant with.

Good luck with your project!

There was a similar question posted on the Natives Plants forum a few months ago by a fellow in Orange County, and a couple of people stressed the issue of fire safety in your state when selecting native plants.

The Bay Nature Institute may be able to advise you on selecting native plants that will have the least amount of fire risk:
http://baynature.org/

The Bay Nature Institute has a webpage devoted to Fire:
http://baynature.org/articles/web-only-articles/fire-

Your local chapter of the California Native Plant Society may also be of some help in creating fire-resistant landscaping:
http://www.cnps.org/cnps/chapters/list.php

Your local Fire Department may also be able to assist in selecting native plants that are fire-resistant.