What is the best ground coverage for a hillside that requires low maintenance?

Question

I have several hillsides around my home and would like to have something that will grow and take over so I do not have to use a weedeater.

I live in Kentucky and the hills around my house gets mostly sun. The ground in a bit rocky.

Answer 1

A lush purple clover or myrtle.

Answer 2

If you live in Kentucky, you KNOW what kudzu is. You will not need a weed eater. You will need a flamethrower. I would suggest rocks first. You could put down a good bed of large rocks (about bowling ball size) then spread creeping phlox or allissum all around the rocks. They will take root between the rocks and help hold the soil.

There are some low growing bushes that would do the same thing, and they would be perennial.

Answer 3

The best ground coverage to a hillside that requires low maintenance is that you can put to grow some Cactus or Oleo Vera olants,

Answer 4

S.C: the best ground coverage is ivy not posionus type
because I recconmended it for hill side as a good natural plant
we has some in the front of our house along the planter beds
nice foilage a little trimming along the curbs with hand clippers
that's all you ever need and oh water them . Get it at an nursery
store they come in a flat crate made of plastic

Answer 5

Ivy is good and grows fast, stays green all year round and chokes out most everything weedy. It comes in nice variegated colors now too. It's cheap, spreads, and isn't too difficult to remove if you ever change your mind.

Juniper will grown and cover, but it is prickly and can't be walked on.

There are some more plants that bloom periodically that would cover, but if you have lot of space and need it in a hurry, I'd suggest ivy. Just don't let it grow up your brick walls, it's destructive.

Answer 6

You could look around on your land during the hot season and see if there are any native plants you like that are still alive and not dead. That means they are harty or have a deep root system
that can reach water deep down and need no help from humans. Then you could propegate or collect the seeds and year by year spread it all around. Some plant dealers sell these native types of plants online but tend to be very expesive. Also, if you have a source of people in your area who have horses, possibly you could get them to give you all the muk (manure mixed with straw)
and spread it very thick (8") all around to smother any unwanted growth. But it takes a lot of it to cover a big area and you have to be carefull that the people you get it from have a source for their straw that does not allow weed seeds to grow in the same area they harvest the straw or hay bales. I have spread out a lot of muk and it does good of getting rid of weeds but in my case, wheat has grown up there because the straw bales are the by-product of a wheat harvest. I have also spread out large thick mil plastic sheets during the hot season and it cooks and dries out any under-growth. I am a manager of a 120 acre estate. Hope this helps -Steve J , Pope Valley ,Calif.

Answer 7

If you live in an area that freezes in the winter, use Myrtle. That's what we had in Pennsylvania when I was a child, and it is basically maintenance free. If you live in a warm enough climate that it is not going to get frozen, use ice plant (ironic as the name is), which is also completely maintenance free if it does not get frozen. If it does, it dies, and looks awful. Both will spread and grow, and if there's any maintenance at all, it will be to pull it up when it gets too far from where you want it to be.

Wandering Jew also works well, even in colder climates. We had that nearly everywhere in Michigan when I lived there.

Answer 8

if you get sun where you want to plant try heather, also juniper, yews, cotoneaster. these are all evergreen which is important. they will all stay throughout the winter. try planting a variety so that the area you are covering has some interest. its will get pretty boring with just one plant.
please do not plant ivy. its so invasive it will take over in no time and create problems down the road. we tried it and while it was great for acouple of years it spread everywhere and killed off a lot of indigenous plants. we originally planted a dozen small plants and within three years they ahd spread beyond all belief. it took forever to get rid of it and even now every once in a while another sprig will sprout up somewhere! it also worked its way through the walls of a neighbour's home. she had ivy growing in her mainfloor powder room. so.....dont use it! and once it has established itself it is almost impossible to get rid of. places like stanley park, in british columbia, canada are in danger due to the ivy choking out all other living plants.

Answer 9

Vines would spread out over the hill and free you from mowing, eventually. You'd still have to mow it for a couple of years until the vines completely take over the hill. Look for creeping types, not climbers like Trumpet Vines, and look for hardiness. But stay away from problem types like English Ivy and Kudzu. English Ivy does not know when to stop spreading and they will eventually take over the planet. Kudzu is the same, only, it will beat the English Ivy hands down in the conquest of the world!

Answer 10

Dwarf Periwinkle, it's a plant with little green leaves and blue flowers that branch out in all directions and even forms new ones off the roots as they spread underground, they are great ground covers and pretty too. Hope this helps, Good Luck!

Answer 11

Low maintenance is the name of the game for the road department. When traveling on your local freeways or turnpikes look at what the state has planted that looks like it has been successful and is pleasing to your eye. I have followed this rule of thumb everywhere I live. Your local nursery should be able to name it and lead you right to it if you tell them the location of your find and if you can get a picture of it, even better.