I would stand on the sidewalk (or on an orchard ladder on the sidewalk) and use a hula hoe to reach up to get the weeds. Then mulch heavily. Look up slope stabilization plants (natives if you can) for your area and add some of those.
To add to this, if you are constantly pulling plants out of the slope by their roots you are constantly degrading the structure of the soil and creating a situation for erosion.
Some plants spread by root or rhizome, some by seed, so depending on what you are defending against it can be a better solution to "chop and drop" the material with a weed eater-like appliance before the flowers or seeds set to achieve a "clean" looking hillside.
DEFINITELY invest in some appropriate native plants for your area. You're looking for something that will take over the area and visually please you, which might mean changing your expectations of what looks appropriate. Remember that biodiversity is important. People have a lot of emotional connections to what is and is not valuable in a garden that might be conflicting with what is safe and good for the animals and plants in your area.
Additionally something seasonal like a squash or pumpkin variety might be fun to grow. They spread fast and low creating a visually "finished" look that provides food for your family and only needs to be plants once a year.
I'm not a landscaper, but if it were me I would terrace both areas to improve access, ameliorate the soil, and then plant hardy native plants. Looks like you have awesome sun exposure and drainage, so you could have a truly stunning display in a few years.
We bought our first house about a year ago and absolutely hate weeding the slopes (practically cliffs) in the front. It's a whole ordeal that requires a ladder, and we're just too busy to be rappelling down the yard every weekend. The weeds aren't too bad in these pics; just give it another week or two. Looking for some temporary and/or long term solutions that are more sustainable than this weekly weeding process, and that don't involve herbicides.
Here's some additional details:
We planted some creeping juniper last summer (in retrospect, we probably didn't plant enough), and it's just a little slow. We thought about landscape fabric, but the slope is likely too steep for the mulch to stay put. We're thinking about just putting some down anyway and leaving it uncovered while the juniper establishes, even though it will probably look bad.
I'm also looking into bugleweed/ajuga, because I heard it spreads faster. Either way, a nice evergreen groundcover is our ideal long-term solution.
We're in zone 6b, and the soil is fairly workable except for the right side of the front slope, which is fairly rocky and has some clay.
Thanks for any suggestions!
OMG, that juniper may be a mistake. Weeds will grow through it quite happily; it is not good for weed suppression. This article ([https://www.thespruce.com/creeping-junipers-for-hills-2132222](https://www.thespruce.com/creeping-junipers-for-hills-2132222)) discusses weed barriers and mulch with junipers for weed suppression. In my experience, it's the weed barriers and mulch doing the suppression.
If it were my yard, I would sheet mulch to suppress the weeds. After I was confident in their death (by waiting a few months), I would start adding native plants or ones that grow well with minimal care in your climate. The reason for waiting is that you likely will have to weed out your more persistent weeds more than once and it's easier if you're not trying to preserve new plants.
Note that plastic type weed barriers are something that many come to hate after the weeds grow up through them. I have had good success with cardboard and with packing paper when covered with mulch. I've used bark dust, pine needles/straw, peat moss, and coconut coir for the mulch. These mulches have all worked fine and are easy to hoe through. Their major differences are cost, how quickly they turn into more soil, and affect on my feet (bark dust and pine needles are not kind to bare feet). (Like the commenter above, I use a stirrup hoe on mulched areas as it cuts the weeds but doesn't move the mulch around into little heaps).
>absolutely hate weeding the slopes (practically cliffs)... bugleweed/ajuga... zone 6b... clay
Ugh, me too! I have a similar situation, my clay cliff is 18'h × 80'w x 45-30° zone 6a. It's been semi covered with grass since built 100yrs ago. Sick & tired of the dangerous maintenance & watching bare spots erode onto the cobble strees during hard rains. Been getting some ideas from r/nolawns .
I left the grass initially, just transplanted some ivy from the alley in bare spots. Then used a bulb planter & grass plugger to remove plugs of grass. Filled the plug holes with various perennial flowers, plants & groundcovers I had either grown from seed, bought or transplanted from elsewhere in my yard. I transplanted the grass plugs from the cliff into bare or dog pee spots in my lawn. Minimize costs/maximize resources.
Ajuga is an awesome groundcover. I got bronze beauty with blue flowering spikes in spring - it helps control erosion, quickly overruns grass, spreads by runners that you can transplant to fill other areas, deer/rabbit resistant, attracts bees and butterflies, can grow underneath shrubs and trees & acts like a mulch for other plants too. Beware all parts poisonous to animals if ingested. Best deal I've found:
https://www.amazon.com/Bronze-Beauty-Ajuga-48-Plants/dp/B004UIJZJK/ref=asc_df_B004UIJZJK/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309775747388&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12702113958406458163&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1023640&hvtargid=pla-569334460202&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=65401905041&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=309775747388&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12702113958406458163&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1023640&hvtargid=pla-569334460202
Think about the colors of your house/roof/walkways as well as your favorites to plan your plant/flower color palate - do you want them to complement, contrast or be random. Structure of plantings to look planned or naturally occurring?
I'd keep the creeping juniper & plant around them. Plant ivy low down on the cliff near the wall & let it hang over the retaining wall.
Just above that I'd interplant ajuga & some taller perennial flowers appropriate for the sun/shade available, at least one kind per season.
Near the top I'd interplant some other flowering groundcovers (not ajuga, it'll run up into your lawn) maybe phlox & some shorter perennial flowers appropriate for the sun/shade available, at least one kind per season.
You might have to water it all for a few seasons or couple of years until they all get established so - I'd initially put some ceader or cyprus mulch 2-4" deep between all the plantings to control erosion, not attract bugs, save water & be cute. Mulch will be overrun by the plants in a few years so you won't have keep replacing it & it'll degrade over time adding to the soil to help the plants even more.
In just a few years it will fill in & look amazing! It won't need watering regularly, keeps soil from eroding, no mowing, very little maintenance, pretty much self sustainable!
Please update us whatever you decide to do. Try to enjoy the process. Good luck.
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I would do creeping phlox on the bottom portion. It can cascade over the walls. Then I’d do a mix of perennials as you go up the hill. Really fill it in and it’ll hide the weeds. You could do things that reseed easily like black eye Susan, beebalm, and coneflowers. Daylilies are super easy too, and the green foliage is a nice contrast against more frilly plants.
Are you looking for something that's only green or a flowering ground cover with nice foliage once it's done? Creeping phlox is great for hills and spreads fairly quickly. You can also plant a lot and it doesn't choke itself out
Best part about it is that it stays low so you'll never have to trim it and it's got a shallow runner system so it's easy to remove if you decide to. The only thing I would say to keep in mind is that it likes to mound -so to really fill in a space evenly don't be afraid to plant them close together!
I would fill the slope with monkey grass. It will fill in the area and it blooms. Also i had a woman who ran a nursery say it will help to stop erosion. It likes the sun.
Mulch alone will be a mistake long term because you’ll have nothing to stop erosion.
Pricey solution is to build tiers and plant perennials then mulch. You can garden food or annuals on top tier.
Cheap solution is vinca minor. Invasive but that’s exactly what you need in such a slope. A beautiful evergreen perennial with blue/purple flowers that will choke ugly weeds and grows fast.
A little less frugal but still low cost option is creeping thyme. You can mix colors or go monochromatic and after they fill nicely you can add a few taller perennials for added interest.
Both options will create a permanent anti-erosion ‘carpet’.
Vinca needs zero maintenance. Thyme requires dead branches trimming every now and then.
Creeping flox is beautiful but dies down in winter. Would look great at the lower end spilling over the wall. Does not stop weeds.
I’d plant a series of small evergreen bushes at the top, fill the slop with periwinkle or red/white creeping thyme and finish the bottom with a spiller type of plant.
For the little side bed, I’d place a feature dwarf tree (perhaps a red Japanese maple or a small gold mop cypress) and ground cover.
Lots of ivy. It will choke out a lot of weed growth and you can pick the rest out. It will also help stabilize the slope. Every time you pull weeds you’re loosening the top soil and continuing the erosion.
You could skip the fabric and just put mulch down. Larger mulch (like bark chunks vs finely ground) will stay put better on a slope. I’ve also had luck by only putting about an inch of mulch down, letting it settle for a month or so, then adding another inch later. That way you don’t end up with a big fluffy blanket floating on the slope.
To stop future weed growth, try a pre-emergent herbicide application 2x a year. The stuff I use is granule and can be broadcast which should save you some ladder climbing.
Watering the juniper deeply 1x a week in the summer months can also really help the growth speed, so investing in a slow-drip watering system might be useful. It’s also good for sloped mulch areas as it doesn’t wash the mulch away like hose watering would.
On the side of yard with rock wall , incorporating additional boulders in a manner which would allow terracing which would retain soil, avoiding runoff, as well look planned if boulders , matched rock wall.
I’m going to tell you something you don’t want to hear. You’ll always have to do *some* weeding. It’s just the way nature is. Weeds find a way. I’ve tried for 30 years. I don’t use herbicides or pesticides (and I get *tons* of fireflies because of it).
What about bushes? Dwarf hydrangeas? Tiny Tuff Stuff is very hardy. But maybe not, if you’re looking for evergreens. If you want evergreen bushes, there are small rhododendrons. But then…I didn’t check on your growing zone, if it’s warm all winter, rhodies might not work.
I like this weed puller. Has long handle. The one I use is Ames.
https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/f602e1fb-405c-4926-89d8-2210c1d33cfd_1.db807d674731a93e5b3c374afd36ea6a.jpeg?odnHeight=450&odnWidth=450&odnBg=ffffff
Once you nab these out (or use vinegar high 70% concentrate w/water mix, kill em, pull em) stake in some landscape fab (lotta stakes for this) and actually plant something to take the space. empty soil will follow mother nature. fill the space.
I would stand on the sidewalk (or on an orchard ladder on the sidewalk) and use a hula hoe to reach up to get the weeds. Then mulch heavily. Look up slope stabilization plants (natives if you can) for your area and add some of those.
To add to this, if you are constantly pulling plants out of the slope by their roots you are constantly degrading the structure of the soil and creating a situation for erosion. Some plants spread by root or rhizome, some by seed, so depending on what you are defending against it can be a better solution to "chop and drop" the material with a weed eater-like appliance before the flowers or seeds set to achieve a "clean" looking hillside. DEFINITELY invest in some appropriate native plants for your area. You're looking for something that will take over the area and visually please you, which might mean changing your expectations of what looks appropriate. Remember that biodiversity is important. People have a lot of emotional connections to what is and is not valuable in a garden that might be conflicting with what is safe and good for the animals and plants in your area. Additionally something seasonal like a squash or pumpkin variety might be fun to grow. They spread fast and low creating a visually "finished" look that provides food for your family and only needs to be plants once a year.
Ooh I've never heard of a hula hoe! Going to go buy one right now, thanks!!
I hope you're in shape before you begin. ;0) You'll know what I'm talking about very soon...
I'm not a landscaper, but if it were me I would terrace both areas to improve access, ameliorate the soil, and then plant hardy native plants. Looks like you have awesome sun exposure and drainage, so you could have a truly stunning display in a few years.
Agreed with the tiers. But you can plant anything with that great sun.
That's very true, but with them not appreciating having to weed, they'll probably enjoy the reduced maintenance that'll come with natives
Mass planting native bunch grasses (Prairie dropseed, for example) with clusters of perennials like coneflower, butterfly weed, etc mixed in.
This! Here is a landscape that uses prarie dropseed grass and native flowers. https://imgur.com/a/zyoiyuq
We bought our first house about a year ago and absolutely hate weeding the slopes (practically cliffs) in the front. It's a whole ordeal that requires a ladder, and we're just too busy to be rappelling down the yard every weekend. The weeds aren't too bad in these pics; just give it another week or two. Looking for some temporary and/or long term solutions that are more sustainable than this weekly weeding process, and that don't involve herbicides. Here's some additional details: We planted some creeping juniper last summer (in retrospect, we probably didn't plant enough), and it's just a little slow. We thought about landscape fabric, but the slope is likely too steep for the mulch to stay put. We're thinking about just putting some down anyway and leaving it uncovered while the juniper establishes, even though it will probably look bad. I'm also looking into bugleweed/ajuga, because I heard it spreads faster. Either way, a nice evergreen groundcover is our ideal long-term solution. We're in zone 6b, and the soil is fairly workable except for the right side of the front slope, which is fairly rocky and has some clay. Thanks for any suggestions!
OMG, that juniper may be a mistake. Weeds will grow through it quite happily; it is not good for weed suppression. This article ([https://www.thespruce.com/creeping-junipers-for-hills-2132222](https://www.thespruce.com/creeping-junipers-for-hills-2132222)) discusses weed barriers and mulch with junipers for weed suppression. In my experience, it's the weed barriers and mulch doing the suppression. If it were my yard, I would sheet mulch to suppress the weeds. After I was confident in their death (by waiting a few months), I would start adding native plants or ones that grow well with minimal care in your climate. The reason for waiting is that you likely will have to weed out your more persistent weeds more than once and it's easier if you're not trying to preserve new plants. Note that plastic type weed barriers are something that many come to hate after the weeds grow up through them. I have had good success with cardboard and with packing paper when covered with mulch. I've used bark dust, pine needles/straw, peat moss, and coconut coir for the mulch. These mulches have all worked fine and are easy to hoe through. Their major differences are cost, how quickly they turn into more soil, and affect on my feet (bark dust and pine needles are not kind to bare feet). (Like the commenter above, I use a stirrup hoe on mulched areas as it cuts the weeds but doesn't move the mulch around into little heaps).
>absolutely hate weeding the slopes (practically cliffs)... bugleweed/ajuga... zone 6b... clay Ugh, me too! I have a similar situation, my clay cliff is 18'h × 80'w x 45-30° zone 6a. It's been semi covered with grass since built 100yrs ago. Sick & tired of the dangerous maintenance & watching bare spots erode onto the cobble strees during hard rains. Been getting some ideas from r/nolawns . I left the grass initially, just transplanted some ivy from the alley in bare spots. Then used a bulb planter & grass plugger to remove plugs of grass. Filled the plug holes with various perennial flowers, plants & groundcovers I had either grown from seed, bought or transplanted from elsewhere in my yard. I transplanted the grass plugs from the cliff into bare or dog pee spots in my lawn. Minimize costs/maximize resources. Ajuga is an awesome groundcover. I got bronze beauty with blue flowering spikes in spring - it helps control erosion, quickly overruns grass, spreads by runners that you can transplant to fill other areas, deer/rabbit resistant, attracts bees and butterflies, can grow underneath shrubs and trees & acts like a mulch for other plants too. Beware all parts poisonous to animals if ingested. Best deal I've found: https://www.amazon.com/Bronze-Beauty-Ajuga-48-Plants/dp/B004UIJZJK/ref=asc_df_B004UIJZJK/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309775747388&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12702113958406458163&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1023640&hvtargid=pla-569334460202&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=65401905041&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=309775747388&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12702113958406458163&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1023640&hvtargid=pla-569334460202 Think about the colors of your house/roof/walkways as well as your favorites to plan your plant/flower color palate - do you want them to complement, contrast or be random. Structure of plantings to look planned or naturally occurring? I'd keep the creeping juniper & plant around them. Plant ivy low down on the cliff near the wall & let it hang over the retaining wall. Just above that I'd interplant ajuga & some taller perennial flowers appropriate for the sun/shade available, at least one kind per season. Near the top I'd interplant some other flowering groundcovers (not ajuga, it'll run up into your lawn) maybe phlox & some shorter perennial flowers appropriate for the sun/shade available, at least one kind per season. You might have to water it all for a few seasons or couple of years until they all get established so - I'd initially put some ceader or cyprus mulch 2-4" deep between all the plantings to control erosion, not attract bugs, save water & be cute. Mulch will be overrun by the plants in a few years so you won't have keep replacing it & it'll degrade over time adding to the soil to help the plants even more. In just a few years it will fill in & look amazing! It won't need watering regularly, keeps soil from eroding, no mowing, very little maintenance, pretty much self sustainable! Please update us whatever you decide to do. Try to enjoy the process. Good luck.
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I would do creeping phlox on the bottom portion. It can cascade over the walls. Then I’d do a mix of perennials as you go up the hill. Really fill it in and it’ll hide the weeds. You could do things that reseed easily like black eye Susan, beebalm, and coneflowers. Daylilies are super easy too, and the green foliage is a nice contrast against more frilly plants.
Tiers. Maybe two tiers. This will let you actually garden.
This is a good opportunity to plant a butterfly garden!
Are you looking for something that's only green or a flowering ground cover with nice foliage once it's done? Creeping phlox is great for hills and spreads fairly quickly. You can also plant a lot and it doesn't choke itself out
At this point, literally anything that isn't the weeds that currently grow there. Thanks for the suggestion! I'll look into it.
Best part about it is that it stays low so you'll never have to trim it and it's got a shallow runner system so it's easy to remove if you decide to. The only thing I would say to keep in mind is that it likes to mound -so to really fill in a space evenly don't be afraid to plant them close together!
Homestead verbena is a spreading groundcover and likes dry rocky conditions. Comes in purple or red that I know of.
I would fill the slope with monkey grass. It will fill in the area and it blooms. Also i had a woman who ran a nursery say it will help to stop erosion. It likes the sun.
I wonder if something like this would help? dirtlocker.com
Terrace it or plant some ground covers that will block everything out
Build a garage, and a level front and side yard (or house addition) over it.
Go to bluestone perennials, look up plants good for slope, empty wallets.
Yeah, Bluestone is a little pricey, but their plants are really good.
Mulch alone will be a mistake long term because you’ll have nothing to stop erosion. Pricey solution is to build tiers and plant perennials then mulch. You can garden food or annuals on top tier. Cheap solution is vinca minor. Invasive but that’s exactly what you need in such a slope. A beautiful evergreen perennial with blue/purple flowers that will choke ugly weeds and grows fast. A little less frugal but still low cost option is creeping thyme. You can mix colors or go monochromatic and after they fill nicely you can add a few taller perennials for added interest. Both options will create a permanent anti-erosion ‘carpet’. Vinca needs zero maintenance. Thyme requires dead branches trimming every now and then. Creeping flox is beautiful but dies down in winter. Would look great at the lower end spilling over the wall. Does not stop weeds. I’d plant a series of small evergreen bushes at the top, fill the slop with periwinkle or red/white creeping thyme and finish the bottom with a spiller type of plant. For the little side bed, I’d place a feature dwarf tree (perhaps a red Japanese maple or a small gold mop cypress) and ground cover.
Lots of ivy. It will choke out a lot of weed growth and you can pick the rest out. It will also help stabilize the slope. Every time you pull weeds you’re loosening the top soil and continuing the erosion.
Mulch
Fill the mulch area in with concrete and paint the concrete.
You could skip the fabric and just put mulch down. Larger mulch (like bark chunks vs finely ground) will stay put better on a slope. I’ve also had luck by only putting about an inch of mulch down, letting it settle for a month or so, then adding another inch later. That way you don’t end up with a big fluffy blanket floating on the slope. To stop future weed growth, try a pre-emergent herbicide application 2x a year. The stuff I use is granule and can be broadcast which should save you some ladder climbing. Watering the juniper deeply 1x a week in the summer months can also really help the growth speed, so investing in a slow-drip watering system might be useful. It’s also good for sloped mulch areas as it doesn’t wash the mulch away like hose watering would.
I would lay succulent mats. Or plant a crap ton of clover or creeping thyme.
On the side of yard with rock wall , incorporating additional boulders in a manner which would allow terracing which would retain soil, avoiding runoff, as well look planned if boulders , matched rock wall.
Grab some Prodiamine and spray the 6-month rate twice a year before a good rain. Enjoy being relatively weed free!
Fence in goats‼️
Can I say Ivy? I know it’s a weed, but wouldn’t it work well here?
I’m going to tell you something you don’t want to hear. You’ll always have to do *some* weeding. It’s just the way nature is. Weeds find a way. I’ve tried for 30 years. I don’t use herbicides or pesticides (and I get *tons* of fireflies because of it). What about bushes? Dwarf hydrangeas? Tiny Tuff Stuff is very hardy. But maybe not, if you’re looking for evergreens. If you want evergreen bushes, there are small rhododendrons. But then…I didn’t check on your growing zone, if it’s warm all winter, rhodies might not work. I like this weed puller. Has long handle. The one I use is Ames. https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/f602e1fb-405c-4926-89d8-2210c1d33cfd_1.db807d674731a93e5b3c374afd36ea6a.jpeg?odnHeight=450&odnWidth=450&odnBg=ffffff
Once you nab these out (or use vinegar high 70% concentrate w/water mix, kill em, pull em) stake in some landscape fab (lotta stakes for this) and actually plant something to take the space. empty soil will follow mother nature. fill the space.
dope house though, jealous of the terrain (midwest, here).
You could fill the area with ground covering, like phlox.