I have a slope above the leach field for our septic that I want to plant some sort of ground cover on. I would like it to be something that will help hold the hill in place but at the same time not have a terribly invasive root system because of the leach field. It can be flowering or not but I would prefer something that either flowers or has variegated foliage. Can anyone recommend a good ground cover for me? I live in northeastern Washington state near Spokane. Our winters can get fairly cold, we're in zone 5 in most of the seed catalog zone maps.
Hi Wild Rose, The only thing you didn't mention was the sun conditions. I'd love to see you be able to use native plants, but that isn't always an option. Take a look at these sites for some ideas. http://stepables.com/ http://classygroundcovers.com/ Have you considered shrubs? Maybe you don't have the room for them, but these sites have shrubs that can be grown on a leach field. http://www.co.mchenry.il.us/CountyDpt/Health/WebPDF/Trees.pdf http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-617/426-617.html Newt
Thanks for the sites Newt! The area is shaded by big trees part of the day but gets plenty of sun for just about anything I think. I'll see what I can find on the sites you provided. I'd rather have a low growing ground cover rather than shrubs, I just think in the area I'm looking at it would look nicer.
Rose, you are very welcome! Since it's full sun you might want to consider one of the creeping thymes. They aren't overly aggressive and are easy to control. I don't think I'd use more then 3 diferent kinds or it might look too busy. You could even plant spring bulbs that could come up throught it. http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/groundcovers/directory/thyme.html Sedum is another that wouldn't be overly aggressive and is easy to root so you can propagate it easily. Many different creeping ones. http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/groundcovers/directory/sedum.html http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050807/news_lz1hs07cover.html Cotoneaster would also be good and low maintenance. http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=cotoneaster&btnG=Search Don't hesitate to ask if you find one and want to know if it's invasive. Newt
Hello, At the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens they use Gallium odoratum (sweet woodruff) a great deal. It grows beautifully in shaded conditions. It was not planted on a leach field, however, it is has a fibrous shallow root system, and so it should be tolerant of those conditions while not causing any problems. Raakel
