Landscaping costs money.......both to install and maintain. It is just a fact of life of home ownership that many overlook or discount as being inconsequential. We don't seem to balk much at spending money on the home's interior or to maintain the structure itself but forget the outside requires time, attention and $$ as well. And it is well worth the investment, as a tidy and well-planned landscape adds significantly to property values.

I can't see meadow grass being a good option for that area (messy looking, not appropriate to a suburban garden setting and will need to be mowed from time to time) and suggest groundcovers as your best option. And I would suggest a woody-based groundcover as well, as you will need a year round presence to avoid erosion and the slope sloughing off in heavy winter rains or with snow melt. Woody-based groundcovers - junipers, cotoneaster, kinnikinnick, etc. - are unfortunately rarely available by seed. And probably a bit late in the year to be locating and planting now anyway.

The other alternative is to select a variety of shrubs for the area, perhaps filling in later with some perennials and ornamental grasses for color and interest through the seasons.

If you can't accomplish this now - and it's getting pretty late in your area for this sort of gardening activity - I'd strongly suggest you lay down something to protect the slope through winter. If spreading a 'regular' mulch seems too pricey, then look for straw or a similar material.

Thanks gardengal. I'll look into those ground covers you mentioned. We have creeping juniper in our front slope and I like it quite a bit. Would you happen to have any suggestions for where to get that in quantity?

I actually started creeping phlox by seed and put the plantings in the front hill just to see how they would do and they transplanted ok, they are just teeny tiny!

The front of our home has a hill 3-4 times this size and the entire thing is landscaped plus both sides of the home are as well. So this hill hasn't been a priority. We put money into other sections.

We will probably start this back hill in the spring.

I've also considering planting grass 1/3 of the way up just to take up some space. As long as it's not too steep for the mower

Grassing it for this winter will keep it from eroding too badly and then you can work on it in the spring. We had a bank that we planted in ivy. A neighbor had loads of it and we buried it in 'lines' across the bank a foot apart. The first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps and the third year it leaps. We mowed the top and bottom of the bank and that kept it under control.

You could sow with one of those meadow in a can things. You need to get one for your climate, meaning from Mass or North. Pinetree Garden Seeds of Maine has a meadow mix.

I have a slope that I plan to plant with lowbush blueberries and lignonberries.

First thing I would do is look around to see what others are using on similar slopes and appraise how it's working out. You can develop contenders this way and eliminate some possibilities rather quickly. Consider plants with a vining nature. Many times, thousands of these can be started easily (cheaply) from root or stem cuttings.