I'm in the wrong zone to give you advice, but since you can't afford to terrace, you need to plant something to help with erosion during rains. I live on a very steep slope, but the house is at the top. There are homes below us, so we do our best to prevent our hillside wreaking havoc on the neighbors.

Junipers will help with erosion, as will trailing rosemary. Not sure what grows in your zone, but you should ask your nursery for advice on shrubs and groundcovers with wide spreading roots that will help with that slope.

Good luck to you!

Another vote for juniper. They spread umbrella style. Many municipalities plant them on highway embankments because of their anti-erosion effectiveness and low maintenance. You would have to mulch between the plants and keep weeds out while they are growing. Blue rug, Parson's, Mint Julep, Nick's Compact and Grey Owl are a few good varieties. Research them all to pick the best height for you. The nicest one, imho, is Blue rug, It is only about 6-8 inches tall but spreads almost eight feet wide. To save even more money buy the one gallon containers. They will grow pretty fast. So it's an economical plant! Other than to remove dead branches they don't need trimming. Best of luck with your slope. I don't think you made a mistake. I think it's a diamond in the rough! So many possibilities!

Funny thing is, we are planning a trip to Canada next year, and I discovered a restaurant in Toronto that uses pine needles to smoke their mussels, so this sent me on a web search. Pine needles AND junipers are edible. Maybe not so tasty, but they do add flavor with no side effects. Just an idea. You get a double whammy with Juniper. OH, and they do distill gin from the berries of the juniper....... Did I say that?

Fascinating!

d keith,

The idea of planting on a hill is both to prevent erosion, which is really important, and to look really nice.

Full sun, zone 7, great for erosion, crape myrtle, buy more of them. They are wonderful, they have strong roots, you already have one there, and will provide a little bit of shade, which most plants will appreciate since you have sun all day. They will be on sale now, so buy more crape myrtles, they are anchors.

Buy a chase tree, gorgeous blue flowers, no maintaince, drought tolerant, loves sun. Get at least one chaste tree. When you plant it, add some composted cow manure in the whole since you have clay, for the chaste tree.

Evergreen magnolia is wonderful for a hill! Look for them at big box stores or nurseries now. Their roots spread out, and they grow great on hills. They are easy to care for, love sun and are evergreen. Get at least one of those, you will love the fragrant flowers in spring.

The reason for the trees is important, they are the first line of defense against the pouring rain. It first hits the trees, they provide cover. Then you look for shrubs, a medium cover, like roses, which are wonderful and hardy, and also love the heat and sun. So buy some medium sized roses. You can use a soaker hose to water them. Also ornamental grasses are beautiful, and sort of medium size. Grasses need water though, so if you put out a soaker hose, include them in the path.

The junipers are a wonderful suggestion also. there are ground cover junipers, you can plant them here and there, they are evergreen, which is good, they are ground covers, so they will also help the ground stay where it is.

St. Johns Wart, sedum, ajunga, daylilies, little spirea shrubs, just a few suggestions as to some plants that you can plant around on the hill and will take fast.

Good Luck to you.