How about mass plantings of lavender in the back, near the top of the slope? Their height will blur the line between the trees on top and the slope itself, creating an illusion where the definition of slope could disappear to the eye.

As an avid food gardener, that would be a great slope to grow cucurbits (so long as you amended the soil to improve the rocky, dry nature of it).

For an adventurous landscaping project, you could terrace garden the slope, add an earthen walk way to the top for access.

Two things come to mind. Both involve rocks. One is to convert the hillside into a rock garden. The addition of several large stones into the hillside help terrace the slope to a degree so that erosion is inhibited and it provides soil pockets for planting rock garden plants that would provide substantial interest. Just google rock garden plants to get an idea of what you can choose from. Some that immediately come to mind are heather, phlox, ice plant, sedum, thyme, pinks, and dwarf evergreens. Another idea for the slope that involves rocks is a water feature. This of course is a little more work to make it look natural. Some ornamental grasses and small cascading Japanese maples would look good with a water feature.

I'll second tree_oracle's suggestion about ornamental grasses. In my limited experience with them, they appear to have a bulky root mass that would appear to hold the soil firm. My neighbor across the road grew the 8 ft. tall Miscanthus near the back of his really huge sloping back yard and they kept erosion in check for upwards of 30 years.

I grow shorter varieties because they enhance my own garden beds & smaller home but even considering their smaller height, dividing them has proven they have rather impressive root mass.

An added bonus is they have winter interest. On the downside, they should be cut back early each year.

It's not to everyone's taste but I have a similar slope in my garden that's full sun. Someone planted vinca minor/creeping myrtle 35+ years ago and it now covers the entire slope.

Hi all, I'm new to this site and trying out a first post--hope it works!

I have a similar steep slope in the back yard of a house we've moved into. It already has some grasses (not ornamental, just ordinary) growing wild on it along with some wildflowers/weeds, as well as a section of ground ivy, a patch of crepe myrtle, some poison ivy (unfortunately), and a few seedling trees. The are a few mature trees at the top of the ridge.

I'm worried about erosion in the short-term, as the soil is sandy under the top layer & seems unstable. I want to give myself time to plan careful changes that will allow vegetable/herb gardening in the future, or at the very least butterfly and bee friendly plantings.

Any suggestions?

Are cucurbits really OK on a steep slope?

Ornamental grasses and wildflowers in the parts that can be dug enough to support sowing it, and creeping phlox/rock cress/creeping thyme around the stonier parts (or other creeping ground covers that like rocky soil), super easy and will like the sunny slope. Basically 0 maintenance. I wish I had a sunny hill. You could even grow poppies!

You might want to try procumbens nana (japanese garden juniper) on the lower portion of the slope; low growing and easy care and will spread 4 feet or so. You should amend the soil when you plant them, but they are very hardy. I would also suggest drifts of daylilly's (repeat bloomer, happy returns) toward the upper portion of the slope. The roots of all will stabilize the slope. As an added bonus, the junipers are evergreen so you will have groundcover during the winter.

Thanks for the great ideas!

jpcn17, are you in Rhode Island ? if so what town ? your name had RI in it but now its gone? just asking because I live in R.I. I own a farm and I know farmers here that grow perennials, annuals and herbs. I might be able to send you in the right direction for your plants..

as for plants on your hill side, creeping phlox. its a little hard to find around here because it blooms so early. Also creeping thyme "red" , Buddleja davidii "butterfly bush" just a few if your looking for color. this is a pic of creeping phlox.

I second Jpcn17's thanks. All these ideas are wonderful! I've taken extensive notes from each post, and have started looking for some plants already.

I would love for my hillside to look like yours, Thyme2dig. Good to know it might only take several years to establish.

jpcn17,
Just some things to consider. Is that soil sandy? Dry?
Looks like you have young ones, so perhaps you are looking towards something that is low maintenance on your part? Are you up for amending the soil if it's lean? I love the garden Thyme2dig has planted, but that soil might be more loamy and less sandy (?). I am always thinking along the lines of fruit and birds (food and shelter), as well as multi-season interest. Perhaps something low to medium height, colorful (or with textural interest) and self sustaining. Perhaps (fast and economical) daylilies would work; some don't need full sun and people (like me) are often giving free clumps away.

So a very sandy soil will not hold the more substantial shrubs in Thyme2dig's photo without sufficient amending?

We've recently moved into this house in southeast MA and the soil around it really has me stumped. Below the (thin) top layer, it's pure sand and rocks.

I'm afraid to pull out too many of the existing grasses/weeds for fear of further undermining the slope, so I've just dug a few holes and amended inside each hole before I plant anything, & then mulched around it. I'm afraid a portion of the hillside will wash down in the next rainstorm if I do anything on a larger scale.

Thanks all for the further feedback and food for thought. I do live in RI, in Westerly, boston3381. The soil is fairly sandy and dry, but yes, some color, especially year-round, maybe some groundcover along with some other plantings, and low maintenance are the goals. I am up for amending if I know what to do!

Keep in mind that not all plants like amended soil. Some of them such as typical rock garden plants prefer dry, infertile soil. Honestly, I would buy plants that prefer a dry, sandy hillside rather than trying to create little oasis pockets for plants that don't really want to be there.

Our house was built on top of fill, so it wasn't the best soil. We did have about 6" of loam dumped all over the yard, although lesser amounts on the slope. Other than that I hadn't enriched planting holes. Spirea and barberry can take a bit more sand, as can other shrubs and perennials. If you google for sand and sun you can get lists of appropriate plant material. I would tend to water fairly heavily though the first couple years until everything is very established since a sandy slope will have very sharp drainage.