I'm soon filling in a large part of my yard with about 100 loads of nasty, muddy, red clay (the only thing I can afford! Ha! Ha!) I will have about 1/2 acre of red clay on a steep slope---45 degree angle or steeper, and probably about 30 feet from top to bottom. It has an eastern exposure with full sun until early afternoon.

I've tried to find some top soil, but after 6 months I've given up.

I don't know ANYTHING about gardening, and I'm famous for killing anything I touch----even an air fern. :)

As soon as it's in I'm sure it will start washing away, so I'm desperate to find something to hold it together. My miniscule budget is a BIG problem, too, after those 100 loads of dirt. :)

Ideally I'd like to have something blooming, but that's not a have-to kind of thing. I've looked at several things, but I'm not too sure how appropriate they are. They are plyox, sweet alyssum, creeping thyme, and my first choice is something called dianthus tuxedo black---something I think is related to sweet william.

I live in the mountains in Southwest Virginia....zone 6, I think.

Can anyone advise me?

Thanks!