Ground cover for Slope/Steep hill?

Question

hi,i had recently bought a new home and i have a 45 degree slope at the backyard, i'm living in Riverisde, CA (is that zone 8?) , we don't have much rain here but we has sprinkle system for the slope area,the area has full sun.i don't know what kind of ground cover to look for and how can i know what kind of soil i have on the slope?i'm kinda like ground cover that is bushy, easy maintainent and has a lot of flowers, i am thinking of gazania(the one with dark orange color flower) or ice plant, any advise or suggestion? thank you and appreciate all advice.

Answer 1

Man, you must live close to me. I also live in a new house in Riverside and the houses near us on the cul-de-sacs have a huge slope on them.

Anyways, here in Riverside, we are in more of a zone 9, and the soil depending on where you live, is a mixture of decomposed granite (DG) and clay, at least that definetly is the case in the Orangecrest / Woodcrest area.

A couple things to consider if you want some ground cover is what color you want to see, texture, etc...

Myself, I'm not for using iceplant or gazanias. I dont know, thats just my personal preference. On the slight slope on the back of my house, I'm putting in jasmine as the groundcover, among other bushes, plants, particularly ones that are native to So. Cal. The jasmine smells great and blooms from spring to summer.

If you can..... Try to ammend the soil as best you can, bring a mattock or pick axe for this, the soil here in the newer houses is totally packed in and a pain to break up, but ammend it with some steer manure, or top soil. If you want for it to cover the whole slope, begin from the top, working down. The seeds will travel down, and of course with gravity on your side.... they'll grow downwards. The trick is to fix up the soil where you will be planting what you want. And trust me, steer manure mixed in with the dirt there, will work great.

Eitherway, hit up Lowes or Home Depot, say Military Discount, but that you forgot your ID or whatever, they'll give you a 10% discount. And BUY BUY BUY whatever it is they have in stock. If they have it, it'll grow here. As a rule of thumb, they sell what will grow best in the area. Of course you can go to one of MANY local nurseries. But yes, for your info, iceplant and gazania will grow nice here, even with a drought.

Answer 2

In Riverside, I think that 'ice plant' would be the 'best bet' for groundcover on your 'slope' ...
To tell what sort of 'dirt' you have, go out onto the slope with three or four small 'zip lock' bags, and use a spoon to 'scoop' or 'scrape' some dirt from the slope ... and do that in three or four different places, because the dirt may 'change' in your yard/on your slope. Take the dirt with you when you go to the 'nursery' and ask them 'what kind of dirt it is' and what would 'grow best' in it with 'no amendments' or which amendments you'd 'need' if you want to grow something different. The 'staff' of the nursery should know the answers you need, or know where you could go to 'find out' if it's too 'complicated' for them to answer.
If you decide you don't want 'ice plant' why don't you try growing the 'gerbera daisy' on your slope, with some thyme as a 'ground cover' between the plants ... the gerbera daisy is 'super hardy' and the thyme can be chosen for it's 'scent' to make it smell really 'good' ... especially 'lemon thyme' in your area, which smells like 'lemon trees' growing but 'softer' and 'nicer' because it's got a 'zing' to it and isn't as 'sweet' as a lemon tree would be in spring.

Answer 3

check into Vinca Minor the foliage is evergreen and it has very pretty little flowers. I have been looking for a while for a ground cover that is hardy not week
you can google vinca minor or go to daves garden on the web
I will be planting some when it stops raining

Answer 4

Creeping phlox has longterm color and very low maintenance,
Juniper, is beautiful but no flowers. Check out the website below for answers to your questions about zoning, flowers, lighting, etc.