The back of our yard has a 30-40 degree slope towards a 15ft. bern. At the base of the bern, and at the inside of my yard is a run off that leads to a drainage ditch. During heavy down pours, if the ditch is clogged with debris, the water may rise into the yard until it can recede. I want to border this edge with ground cover and have prepared the soil first, by killing, or at least attempting to kill the Bermuda grass. I'm in Indian Trail NC, which is zone 7/8. The soil is clay, poorly drained and in full sun. Should I also be concerned with soil erosion? I've been considering junipers but saw the other posting suggesting they are prone to disease. If I use junipers will it prevent the return of the Bermuda grass? Do you have any suggestions for this area? I'm looking for a maintenance free area that will border a tree lined bed area full of Cryptomerias. Any junipers good neighbors or invasive? I am open to suggestions, except for day lillies. They are over utilized in this area and I am no longer a fan. Some one suggested river rock in instead of any plants, but I don't know if that will stop the erosion. Thanks for your help.
I have a very good suggestion for you. Ammend the soil. If it is clay as you say it is, it will not drain like it should. You need to get rid of all the grass, till the clay and break it up, and add at least 30% sand and 70% organic material (you can add more sand if you need to, them more sand the better the drainage). After you ammend the soil, replant the yard with your choice of grass and cover it up with a thin layer of straw to keep the seed from washing away. This is also the time to think about what type of plants you want in the land scape. If you don't want to go through the trouble of ammending the soil, you may want to consider planting plants that can live in very wet soil mediums.
