We live in Northern VA, zone 7. Our house sits on a lot with a slope on the east side, sloping away from the house. One problem with the slope is it is extremely difficult to mow and we would really like to replace the lawn in the steepest areas with other plants. The slope ends right at our property line, and our neighbor has a row of Lelands planted along the length of the property. We also have the back portion fenced in, so the yard slopes down and into the fence. I included a photo, from the winter so it's covered in snow but hopefully gives you an idea.

If we plant shrubs near the bottom of the slope, will that look strange? Any other ideas on what to plant? We'd like to keep the plantings as native as possible. Also, will we need something to keep the slope stabilized while we are in the process of planting? We plan on ripping up the sod and then putting on a good layer of mulch but I don't want it to all wash away in a rain, as it will take us a few weeks to complete planting, and then of course longer as the plants establish root systems. Our soil is typical for the region, clay. Even with the line of Lelands, the area gets full sun.