We live in Campbell River, BC and are in desterate need of some advice. We have a new slope between us and the neighbours that will be far too steep to mow. The elevation change is about seven or eight feet and the slope is about 30 or 40 degrees and is about 60 feet long. It is just dirt now. We want a maintenance free ground cover that will cover this slope that will look good year around. We are out of the country in the winters and are spending less and less time in the summers at home. We want something that requires very little or no care. any advice would be helpful.
Try Vinca Major 'Varigata' ( The Periwinkle Plant) it has pretty blue flowers from the late spring to early autumn, you can propagate in summer by semi ripe cuttings or by layering, to increase your stock, you should have your bank covered in three to four years, each plant has a spread of about 4 to 5 feet, it is frost hardy down to about -15 celsius. It does not take much looking after, it tolerates deep shade, and likes well drained soil, when first planting water your plants in well. Once established they are virtually maintenance free, just the odd trim up around the edge of the area once a year. Hope this helps. Ashizuru.....
Vinca isn't generally recommended in the Pacific Northwest of North America because of its tendency to be invasive (particularly if you are near a shady watercourse). croft, you didn't mention how much sunlight the slope will receive. Something you may wish to consider is one of UBC's introductions, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Vancouver Jade'. You'll see it used as a highway roundabout planting, giving you a general sense of how low maintenance it is (extremely), and yet still attractive.
Thanks Daniel. The slope has a wide open East exposure and will have sunlight from morning until about 4 - 5 pm every day. We are about 150 feet from the ocean and the slope is facing the ocean. The other (un-maintained) slopes are covered with Horsetails and Morning Glory, something we want to avoid on this new slope.
How about something shrubby like Cotoneaster or Juniper? I don't think anything will be maintenance-free right from the outset, by the way. Whether it is something herbaceous or shrubby like these two suggestions, it will need weeding until it spreads. Also, have you considered planting some trees? Especially if you select wide-growing conifers that will ultimately have low sweeping branches, they will keep the ground clear.
Have had another thought on your ground cover problem,have you considered ivy? A good ground cover variety is H.helix 'Pittsburgh' it rarely grows above 3 feet, as it's a weak climber, and has a spread of about 15 feet. The leaves are 5 lobed,and a glossy mid green in colour, it's hardy down to -15 celsius,and is self branching. Ashizuru.......
My wife suggested ivy right from the start but our neighbour was against it for fears it might spread into her garden. We do not want trees as even low ones would spoil our view of the ocean. Ivy might be the way to go after all if we can just assure our neighbour that we will keep it under control. The climate here on the east coast of Vancouver Island can be quite damp and we have a bank behind us that drains water year round from an underground stream. This keeps everything growing even without watering.
I'd stay away from vinca and ivy as both are considered exotic invasives and can cause havoc in the natural environment. Instead consider these evergreen natives: Polystichum munitum (sword fern) Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (bear berry) Fragaria chiloensis (beach strawberry) Or perhaps these less agressive, evergreen non-natives: 'Point Reyes' ceanothus (groudcover California lilac) Pachysandra terminalis (spurge) Iberis sempervirens (candytuft) Epimedium grandiflorum (barrenwort) An additional word of caution, although I love the look of junipers on a slope they can be disease prone in our moist climate - check with your local garden centre.
