Ideas for planting a steep slope?

Question

I recently purchased a home in the Seattle area that is perched up on a hill with the yard sloping steeply to the street. It's all grass now on the slope which is NOT easy to maintain. It's too steep for a mower so I need to use the trimmer - which means I'm perched with one foot up, one foot down balancing while I whack the weeds. I'd like to remove the grass altogether and create a terrace garden with either railroad ties or rock. Has anyone taking on a project like this themselves? I really don't have the funds now to pay a landscaping company to do this for me - plus I want the satisfaction of doing it myself. Plus it's not a huge amount of space to complete - only about 30 feet from the house to the street. Any suggestions for best plants to use, best way to remove grass, websites with examples?

Thanks! :)

As for falling down - everytime I do the trimming I end up with jeans with a green bottom lol

Answer 1

Your local cooperative extension service should help. Start here:
http://king.wsu.edu/gardening/index.htm

Don't use just one type of plant, mix them up. Mix some vertical accents, maybe native grasses such as panicum, in among the trailing or spreading stuff you will use to hold the slope. A possible cheap material for retaining walls: recycled concrete chunks (where someone has torn out a sidewalk or driveway, call the local landfill or a construction company to procure this. You might need about two tons) Don't worry how they look, the idea is eventually the plants will grow over them. Just scatter them randomly or make little walls or planting pockets with them: a rock garden. If you can't find this stuff buy rip rap from the local quarry. I don't know your area but some plants I like for this situation are: hypericum, gumpo azalea, homestead verbena, black-eyed susan, rosemary, oregano, daylilies, catmint (nepeta), kniphophia (red hot poker), wiegelia, Little Richard abelia...these are not all native, but the best I could do off the top of my head.

Answer 2

You can put down a ground cover like pachysandra or an ivy. It grows quickly and is easy to maintain as long as you put down the black plastic weed inhibitor first. There are many products to use to remove the grass available at any garden center but after using it, you would have to wait some length of time before replanting anything.

Answer 3

You could plant Vinca which will take over the slope without your having to do a thing. It has beautiful blue flowers in the spring and is very hardy. If you want to maintain grass, I suggest renting a goat or two ( or sheep for that matter) for a few days to keep the grass trim.

Answer 4

Dont fall down it!