Need suggestions for attractive native ground cover that would be good at preventing erosion - Ask Extension
We need to put down some ground cover that is good at stabilizing soil on significant slopes. Our property is in the woods in the Forest Glenn Park ar...
Knowledgebase
Need suggestions for attractive native ground cover that would be good at preventing erosion #921906
Asked November 13, 2025, 3:08 PM EST
We need to put down some ground cover that is good at stabilizing soil on significant slopes. Our property is in the woods in the Forest Glenn Park area. The sunlight is partial as we have a good amount of trees. We want it to be attractive and to be able to outcompete the invasive ground covers that we get here. What suggestions do you have? Our builder is suggesting Red Clover, but I don't know if that is native. Also, we are open to a mix of different species that would play well together and look good. We want a natural look for a wooded area. Thank you for your help.
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
None of the clovers that gardeners are familiar with are native to North America. They are also not very tolerant of shade, preferring full sun. We don't have an exhaustive list of potential species for this use, but you can explore some ideas to get you started in our Groundcovers web page. You can also explore a more extensive list of Maryland native plants (and the conditions they prefer) in general in the recently-published Maryland Native Plant Guide for the Piedmont Region.
Few native plants can out-compete perennial invasive species, which is one reason they establish successfully to become invasive in the first place when land is cleared or disturbed. It's best to remove any perennial invasive plants (Lesser Celandine, shrub honeysuckles, Multiflora Rose, etc.) in an area before planting natives. More research is needed on which native plants do a decent job of holding invasive species at bay, but typically that approach works best with invasive species that are annuals (like Japanese Stiltgrass) that must regrow from seed each year.
In some cases, areas visited regularly by deer may continue to face pressures of weed invasion even after native plants establish, both because deer often favor eating natives and ignore invasive species (another reason as to why invasive species are so successful at spreading), but also because deer carry the seeds of those invasive plants around as they travel. (Japanese Stiltgrass seed, for instance, can be moved about on the fur of deer legs/feet.) If it's feasible to keep deer out with fencing or some other means, that can be key to more success at suppressing a resurgence of invasives.
To help combat the spread of invasive plants, look to native plants that are considered to have "aggressive" growth, either by self-seeding or spreading via runners (stolons or rhizomes). (Sometimes people mistakenly term this "invasive," a term which isn't applied to native plants, no matter how rampantly they spread in their own ecosystems.) The greater vigor and propensity to spread for aggressive natives is the trait that will best keep invasive plants at bay. The trade-off will be that you might also find those aggressive natives spreading where you don't want them, in which case you'll just have to weed them out as needed.
Here are a few candidates of woodland-adapted native species that tend to spread readily, to get you started:
Miri
Few native plants can out-compete perennial invasive species, which is one reason they establish successfully to become invasive in the first place when land is cleared or disturbed. It's best to remove any perennial invasive plants (Lesser Celandine, shrub honeysuckles, Multiflora Rose, etc.) in an area before planting natives. More research is needed on which native plants do a decent job of holding invasive species at bay, but typically that approach works best with invasive species that are annuals (like Japanese Stiltgrass) that must regrow from seed each year.
In some cases, areas visited regularly by deer may continue to face pressures of weed invasion even after native plants establish, both because deer often favor eating natives and ignore invasive species (another reason as to why invasive species are so successful at spreading), but also because deer carry the seeds of those invasive plants around as they travel. (Japanese Stiltgrass seed, for instance, can be moved about on the fur of deer legs/feet.) If it's feasible to keep deer out with fencing or some other means, that can be key to more success at suppressing a resurgence of invasives.
To help combat the spread of invasive plants, look to native plants that are considered to have "aggressive" growth, either by self-seeding or spreading via runners (stolons or rhizomes). (Sometimes people mistakenly term this "invasive," a term which isn't applied to native plants, no matter how rampantly they spread in their own ecosystems.) The greater vigor and propensity to spread for aggressive natives is the trait that will best keep invasive plants at bay. The trade-off will be that you might also find those aggressive natives spreading where you don't want them, in which case you'll just have to weed them out as needed.
Here are a few candidates of woodland-adapted native species that tend to spread readily, to get you started:
- Hayscented Fern (Sitobolium punctilobulum, formerly named Dennstaedtia punctilobula) and Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis)
- White Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata, formerly named Aster divaricatus)
- Wild Blue Violet (Viola sororia)
- River Oats / Northern Wood Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)
Miri
