I am planting a new front lawn and have a section of my lawn that slopes down to the sidewalk. I am told if I planted grass seed here it would just wash away.So I am considering some type of ground cover. however, this area gets covered with piles of shovelled snow and salt from the sidewalk in the winter. Any suggestions for what to plant?
If there's enough salt to kill plants maybe you have to secure the slope with stones or blocks instead. Any planting will have to have the soil stabilized and protected from washing away in order for the plants to take hold, whether it is started from seeds or plants.
How steep is the slope? How much rain do you expect before the grass becomes established? A slight slope shouldn't be a problem. Grass is resiliant and will probably recover well from the snow cover and salt. Grass seed might wash away, depending on how hard it rains. There are erosion conrols products available and your garden center or irrigation supplier or hardware store might be able to help the seed stay in place. Covering the slope with burlap and securing the burlap might help. Grass sod installed with strips of sod perpendicular to the contour lines would provide the cover and resist washing away.
I use Agapanthas to hold back sloaping areas in the paddock and the banks of my road gutter on a dirt road. There are small ones as well as the large ones. Don't know if they would work where you are but might be worth a look http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agapanthus http://www.abc.net.au/adelaide/stories/s1825598.htm Liz
How does cotoneaster do in Toronto? If you decide to not use grass (no mowing on slope!) hardy planting with would nice. I'm afraid I don't know what types of plant thrive in Toronto's climate.
