Hi, 

We agree that some landscaping should be done to help with the soil erosion. We would suggest hiring a landscape professional who will know how to stabilize the slope either by terracing, if financially feasible, or with installing plants with the deep and widespread roots to help with that. 

We can surely help recommend some plants but need some more site condition details. How much sun does the area get? Is there a heavy deer presence? Is there a downspout at the edge of the building that is an outlet for a lot of water during rain or snow melt?

You could look into professional certified landscaping companies (ones that are reputable or with good word of mouth recommendations) or hire a landscape architect. 

https://cblpro.org/ - Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional 

https://my.asla.org/my-asla/directories/firm_search.aspx - ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architecture) firm finder

https://www.landscapeprofessionals.org/LP/Connect/LP/About/Directory/Directory.aspx - National Association of Landscape Professionals 

In the meantime, you could use burlap, or other biodegradable landscape fabric, laid and pinned with landscape pins, to help with the erosion until it is planted, or stabilized.

Let us know if we can help further. 

Emily 

Thank you for this information. I'd like to ask Just a few more questions:

• A slope grade of 50% in several beds was our primary concern. Terracing several side beds may be out of our price range. Alternatively, would you recommend any of the following solutions, and why or why not? 
  • River stones to create contour lines to reduce erosion? 
  • Rooted ground cover plant with mulch until plants interlock.
  • Turf/sod with staples.

• Here is a more detailed description of our local conditions:
  • We are located in the mountains in Garrett County at an altitude of 3,000'. 
  • Our plants are constantly ravaged by deer and rabbits climbing up the slopes and causing further damage, so deer-resistant plants are important. 
  • All of the side beds are between buildings and have an East-Southeast aspect so receive some sunlight in the morning and direct sunlight in the afternoon.
  • We tend to have mild summers with occasional drought, but long winters with continuous snow.
  • We also experience strong winds, especially between the building where the beds are located, which can dry out and cause wind burn on the plants. 
  • Lastly, we are also experiencing an infestation of Canadian Thistle weeds. Which solutions would help to suppress or prevent weed growth? Can you provide any other advice on fighting weeds from growing in the beds?

Thank you!

Thank you for this information. I'd like to ask Just a few more questions:

• A slope grade of 50% in several beds was our primary concern. Terracing several side beds may be out of our price range. Alternatively, would you recommend any of the following solutions, and why or why not? 
  • River stones to create contour lines to reduce erosion? 
  • Rooted ground cover plant with mulch until plants interlock.
  • Turf/sod with staples.

• Here is a more detailed description of our local conditions:
  • We are located in the mountains in Garrett County at an altitude of 3,000'. 
  • Our plants are constantly ravaged by deer and rabbits climbing up the slopes and causing further damage, so deer-resistant plants are important. 
  • All of the side beds are between buildings and have an East-Southeast aspect so receive some sunlight in the morning and direct sunlight in the afternoon.
  • We tend to have mild summers with occasional drought, but long winters with continuous snow.
  • We also experience strong winds, especially between the building where the beds are located, which can dry out and cause wind burn on the plants. 
  • Lastly, we are also experiencing an infestation of Canadian Thistle weeds. Which solutions would help to suppress or prevent weed growth? Can you provide any other advice on fighting weeds from growing in the beds?

Thank you!

Installing contour lines using large stones or log pieces might help slow erosion and suppress soil movement, but we are not trained landscape architects (a field of high specialization given how seriously it can impact the stability of nearby structures) so we cannot say with confidence if that will be a viable solution in this situation. Live roots from spreading perennials or shrubs are one the best solutions for stabilizing the soil, but getting new plantings established may take a bit more care at first given the risk of some erosion around their crowns (where stems emerge from the ground) until enough root growth has occurred. Sod might also work long-term but would necessitate mowing on such a steep slope, which we imagine you don't want to have to deal with.

We can share some ideas for species less palatable to deer (as nothing is foolproof, and fewer reference lists exist for rabbit resistance) that should cover the slope, though growth rates vary and not all will be quick to fill-in. The Canada Thistle should be eradicated before planting because they will be much harder to treat and remove once interspersed with desirable plants. Spot-treatment with a systemic herbicide is the most efficient and effective approach, though given how tenacious this species is, more than one treatment may be needed if plants recover enough to resprout. Although perennial weeds like this are best treated with systemic in early autumn, we realize you may not want to wait that long, so eradication attempts can begin sooner.

The only way to combat weeds over the long term is to maintain a dense planting that covers the ground with the growth of desirable species, giving weed seeds too much competition to survive. Of course, a few could always infiltrate a mature planting, and in that case would need to be cut down, pulled/dug up, or spot-treated carefully with herbicide. We would not recommend keeping a synthetic weed barrier in place once the new plantings are installed (or at least after their first year or two in the ground) as it can cause more problems than it solves if left around desirable plants long-term. A biodegradable alternative, like the paper-type materials some products are made with, could be left to degrade on its own as the new plants establish. Burlap is a natural material if untreated for rot resistance, though sometimes this material takes a surprising amount of time to decay out of the way.

Arborist wood chip mulch might be a material that will resist sliding down the slope (especially once the chips absorb water and begin to decay as fungal growth will knit them together a little) but you'd have to experiment with it to see if it would work for you. Deliveries of wood chips tend to be large (the entire truckload) but cheap (free, or nearly so) and they can be laid several inches thick as long as they don't smother the plant crowns. Shredded cedar mulches might be another alternative which could self-knit together enough to resist eroding, but other mulch types (pine bark nuggets/chips) will probably flow downhill too readily. We don't know if pine needle mulch will stay in place, but it too is worth investigating as a way to discourage weed seed germination while the planting is young.

Ideas for groundcovers or spreading perennials or shrubs for a sunny or mostly-sunny site are listed below. We'll mention which are local or regional natives if that matters to you. Even though few are evergreen, leaving spent stems uncut for the winter will help catch any fallen leaves and plant debris that will serve as a  natural mulch that should help protect the soil. If a cut-back to refresh its look is desired, it can be done around mid-spring just before new growth at the base of the perennials has begun. Using a mix of species, whichever you choose, is ideal since it not only adds seasonal interest and might support more wildlife, but also boosts the resiliency of the planting as a whole. This is because species won't necessarily share the same vulnerabilities so in the event of a future insect, disease, or weather issues, not all will be affected to the same degree. The plants below are not listed in any particular order of suitability.

• various species and varieties of Juniper, ranging from dozens of ground-hugging spreaders to mid-height shrubby types that mature wider than tall (for example, cultivar 'Gray Owl' that can eventually reach about 3 to 4 feet high and 5 to 6 feet wide); species Juniperus virginiana is native and species Juniperus communis and J. horizontalis are eastern and northern U.S. natives, respectively
• Siberian Carpet (Microbiota decussata) - evergreen, but tends to turn a mocha- or caramel-brown during winter, changing back to green with spring warmth
• Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica), particularly cultivar 'Gro-Low' - native and has showy fall foliage color
• Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) - native
• Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) - might creep outside of the bed as it spreads, though that could be true of any spreader capable of overtaking the nearby lawn; midwestern U.S. native
• several species and varieties of Cotoneaster
• Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) - native and more-or-less evergreen; information is mixed as to whether deer leave this alone or not
• various species of Mountain-Mint (Pycnanthemum) - native
• Carolina Rose (Rosa carolina) - native; perhaps not the most deer-resistant but if tucked between other species they will probably leave it alone between the stem thorns and the difficulty of navigating through the planting on such a steep slope
• Gray Goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis) - native; several other Goldenrod Species could also work
• various native grasses, like Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), Big Bluestem / Broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium), and Wildrye (Elymus)
• Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) - native and while it can be eaten by deer, its growth might outpace browsing once it's established, especially if it's not used on the outer edges of the planting
• Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) - native
• Shrubby St. Johnswort (Hypericum prolificum) or Bushy St. Johnswort (Hypericum densiflorum) - both native
• Beebalm / Scarlet Bergamot (Monarda didyma) and Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) - both native
• Eastern Hayscented Fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) - native; if not too dry, this fern can tolerate a fair amount of direct sun
• Creeping Raspberry (Rubus calycinoides) - does not produce crops of fruit, despite its relation to cultivated raspberries
• Slender Deutzia (Deutzia gracilis, mainly variety 'Nikko')
• Hardy Plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides)
• Heath (Erica) and Heather (Calluna)

Miri

Hi Miri,

You're welcome.