the grassy weeds that grow between gravel and rock border drives me nuts too. just look so unkept. We are zone 7. Deer will eat anything and everything here so no hostas. Considered a container garden like faux wiskey barrel with pretty flowers at crest of mound but not sure if would look silly

What area/zone are you in? FWIW, I like the way the stones are laid out, I think that’s a nice start!

Depending on your climate and how formal you want it, you could plant swathes of coneflower, salvia, yarrow, flowering tobacco, lavender. Border with some hostas. Plant daffodils under that for spring color. How shady are those trees?

The plastic will prove a nightmare. Before you plant anything, remove the plastic.

We can presume that there is a house in the background and that what is done in this bed will either promote a view of the house, or diminish it. It's impossible for us to know which way is the right way, because that view is not included. Let's guess that we want to promote a view of the house ... then more likely than not, the bed will be primarily some type of groundcover. If we wanted to obscure the view, there would probably be some shrubs situated at the back of the bed, not the front (which is between the tree trunks and curb.)

Maybe it’s nothing, but since you mentioned poison ivy, that third tree looks like it may have a poison ivy vine on it. I can’t get a clear picture on my iPad, but check to see if the vine has fuzzy little roots on it. I don’t think even your black plastic will kill poison ivy, but I would do my best to get rid of that before you plant anything. We see a lot of that in PA. Good luck.

Agree. The poison ivy must go before planting anything. It is easy to kill. Clip/saw any vines climbing the trees, near the ground. No need to remove ... just pick up the pieces when they fall to the ground. (But be careful as the poison persists in all plant parts; no leaves needed.) Let it regrow to a 2' bush. Spray with glyphosate. This may need repeating a time or two more.

Plastic under your dirt and mulch is the best way possible to shut off the water supply to anything you plant and have them all die in the first dry spell. Remove it.

You can plant the 3 yellow cypress near the top of the slope. They will become small trees unless regularly trimmed. Then fill in the lower slope with daylily and the spreading perennial Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia fulgida. Both of those will act as weed suppressing groundcovers.

I actually would like to see how this area relates to the house . Could you take pics from further back and also give us an idea of the landscaping near the house. Slopes are always tricky but can also look really nice if planned properly, You will need to actually be more pro active getting rid of the poisin ivy I don’t like using chemicals either but sometimes it is the only way. So lift the plastic deal with the ivy and in the meantime take those extra pictures. I do not like the rocks along the edge they really do not look attractive but I need to see a bit more. I love large boulders at entry to property and do you have a picture of the new mailbox?

following

another base question .. would be home much time do you want to spend during the spring/summer.. messing with it all.. plus fall cleanup.. etc ...

working a functioning annual or perennial garden... on a hill.. might be a giant PIA ... especially the older one gets ...

ergo ... just a collection of ground covers light be the best option ...

ken

This looks like an area next to the driveway. You must use short plants or you will cut off the view of oncoming traffic. I would plant something low and evergreen here. Nothing much higher than 2 feet, especially closest to the driveway.

bought these thinking of putting on mound at crest but not sure if will look weird having clump of three spaced out and what could I put with it to look more finished and neat. im trying guys im trying!!!

Dave, were you thinking along these types of everygreen.Maybe even blue junipers low stumpy type. I need all to be low cost and low maintenance. would perennials like lavender or salvia look good here

You would have to check to see if it's invasive in your area, but I used ajuga on a sloped area of my yard and it did very well. The foliage didn't die back in the winter so it maintained some interest all year long. I liked the little spikes of purple flowers that popped up in the spring and summer.

myrtle can fill in a space under trees. I don't mind the look of this area, however -- it seems fitting in a wooded area.

Also take a look at the big root geranium macrorrhizum as a ground cover. Mine did well on a slope and it didn’t mind dry ground so you won’t have to drag a hose all the way out to the road during a dry spell. Deer and rabbits leave it alone.

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=f278

i wish I could tell you how to get rid of the poison ivy. I keep hoping some smart kid will show up on Shark Tank and make a fortune with the the answer.

I am in the process of planting a bed of periwinkle around my shrubs. I have to work around deer and rabbits too. The books say neither one likes periwinkle, but in my experience, those critters don't read very well, and they munch on things at random. I figure periwinkle is cheap, it spreads quickly and is very pretty. it might work well in your sloped area

Will thrift or phlox grow well where you live?

There is also a low growing cedar shrub that could work there.

You might consider Hosta if they'll grow where you live.

Remove any kind of ivy from any tree you want to live and be healthy.


Don't let poison ivy get started anywhere.


Even English ivy -- that looks good -- is invasive and doesn't stay just where you plant it without considerable work.

Poison ivy and english ivy can be killed with a mix of triclopyr and diesel or #2 heating oil. Cut the vines near ground and spray or brush mixture onto the cut. You'll want to rid area of ivy before any planting as the triclopyr will kill just about anything and is very volatile especially in temps above 80.

Read label and apply with caution using PPE.

Will

Will, I will def try what you stated above. I never mixed it with diesel. Nothing more aggravating than spending $50 on roundup that deemed useless both times I tried it. Even with chopping at the base of the vine. I cannot grow hostas as deer will eat like lettuce around here. I am in love with pics I posted. Does anyone know the name of the perennial that is wispy, long legged and blue tipped in photo above. Ive seen it grow and it gets large but manageable and may do well there if I can find it. The photo with the boulder I adore. Its an option to just do the mound area and forget the rest. Try to neaten up around the base of the entrance and mailbox and call it a day. Again not sure what is planted there other than the variegated willow which would get too big and obscure view imo. anyway. these suggestions are all great. I sincerely appreciated your time to respond and help me.

Look at perovskia and see if that matches what you’re thinking of. Common name Russian sage.

There are several considerations here that have to be kept in mind.

- As others have mentioned, you can’t reasonably plant a garden until the poison ivy is gone, so don’t plant anything this spring or you will be frustrated trying to beat back PI while not harming your new plantings. Cut the PI growing up the tree, and plan on checking this weekly, wearing protective gear, and spraying any sprouts with Glyphosate mixed to brush removal strength from concentrated to get rid of the PI or suit up and pull by hand any time a sprout shows. Don’t take shortcuts because this is a persistent plant. I have removed well established PI from the part of my very large property that I regularly walk through, so it can be done if you don’t let it form new leaves. Ten minutes a week should do it after the first removal.

- As others have mentioned, get rid of plastic and don’t use landscape fabric. Both will interfere with the movement of air, nutrients, and water into the soil, all needed for healthy plants. Instead use a layer of organic mulch such as shredded bark or shredded leaves.

- Whatever you plant needs to keep in mind good sight lines as you leave the driveway, not just for your vehicles, but also for visitors. So consider whether someone driving a sports car could see over whatever you plant. In my mind that eliminates the gold thread shrubs, which IME can get over 6’ tall and wide and would interfere with sight lines for all but the largest vehicles.

- You have trees there, and trees have as much underground material as above ground. There will be lots of roots in that soil, so many plants won’t survive the competition with mature trees for water and nutrients. I would plan on a neatly edged bed of groundcover of some type that is happy growing in competition with tree roots. Bulb as may well work also. Regardless of what you plant, you will need to water well for the first season to get your plants established, which will mean hauling water in jugs or a trailer behind your lawn tractor.

- For this season, mulch and remove PI. Get a couple of very large pots and plant with something cheerful. Plan on daily watering or use succulents.

Yes, remove the plastic and don't use anything like it, such as landscape fabric. I used this to kill my poison ivy, (and anything else). I did not spray, however. I got a cheap paintbrush and kept with the brush killer to use just for the poison ivy, virginia creeper, and trash trees.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Roundup-32-oz-Concentrate-Poison-Ivy-Plus-Tough-Brush-Killer-5002310/100355710

Brush on the leaves of the vines full strength and on the fresh cut tree stumps full strength. This way you have no overspray to kill desirables or to possibly be taken up by the feeder roots of the trees.

This spring and summer, I would replace the mailbox liked you planned, remove the plastic, and concentrate on poison ivy removal. The rocks look fantastic. Pine straw makes an attractive ground cover that will not wash down the hill. Like someone mentioned above, a pot with some annuals will give color by the mailbox for now.

Keep planning and researching plants and you will be able to plant this fall, which is a great time to put out things anyway, lol.

"I Nothing more aggravating than spending $50 on roundup that deemed useless both times I tried it." You share no details of the strength you bought, what you did, when, or how you did it ... so it's anyone's guess as to what went wrong. But surely, you are making a mistake. I've had much experience killing poison ivy and found it to be one of the easier things to kill using Round-up/generic glyphosate. As well, glyphosate is not going to negatively impact the soil and affect the roots of other, or future, plants. It is one of the safer weedkillers for the inexperienced to use.

Regular Round UP, either brand name or generic, will not penetrate the waxy coating on poison ivy when you spray it, unless they are the very young leaves. It is made for grass. It also does not work well on nutsedge.

I would not spray diesel fuel if you want to grow anything else there at all.

"... Round UP, either brand name or generic, will not penetrate the waxy coating on poison ivy ..." That's not the case. It works VERY well. PI does not have a tough leaf.

Cooperative extension says the best time for chemically killing woody vines like Poisoned Ivy with the poison of your choice is early fall. Best kill rate when the plant is closing down and storing things for winter like poisons.

Yardvaark, I beg to differ. I used regular Round Up and it did not work! The one I linked to above that is a RU Poison Ivy Killer did!

"I beg to differ. I used regular Round Up and it did not work!" We have been around this block before ... someone makes a generalized claim that seems incredulous, but includes no details so that no could analyze their methodology. There are ways of wrongly or incorrectly using glyphosate that could explain why it might not have worked for you, but Tigereye, you'd need to elaborate on all the details in order for anyone to reasonably guess what you did or didn't do that would result in failure. Secondly, glyphosate comes in a variety of strengths and is mixed by the operator according to their criteria. Without your saying, no one could possibly know if you used an appropriate strength for the task at hand. What I do know is that they're not making a completely different Round-up for you than they are for me. I've killed tons of poison ivy in all stages of maturity so know with absolute certainty that it does work. If it didn't work for you, the most can conclude is that it didn't work for you ... not that it doesn't work for everyone else. That would be like you participating in an automobile race, losing, and saying that the race couldn't be won.

Poisoned Ivy is like a hundred legged octopus. Glyphosate will most certainly kill it, but if you miss a few arms it can grow right back.

Mamajean, different brand, should be same stuff. Good luck.

Yardvaazrk, I am not going to argue with you. You think that if something works for you, it works for everyone. The OP had already stated that Round Up DID NOT work and was a waste of money. That was my experience. I sprayed the same set of leaves several times, with a new bottle of RU, with no rain in site and it did not kill it. The brush killer did. The regular RU works just fine on the gravel dirve. Have a nice day, but as I said, I am not going to waste my time arguing back and forth. Their are some posters that don't mind doing that, but it is a waste of my time.

I posted an entire post and it got deleted. ughhh so sorry. Im going to finish the above product so as not to waste . it has an attached spray wand. I did see someone mention throw some dawn detergent in. Ironically last spring I even made my own pinterest concoction of Dawn dish soap, vinegar and Epson salts. Easy peasy. worked great on weeds grass and managed to kill the PI in the sunlight as got fried. anyway to answer the question I used the above product numerous times and wacked bottom of trees vine in a few areas. Sprayed the crap out of it and all the overhead baby leaves I could reach and see being careful not to get it all over me. I was covered in PPE and tried my best to get each and every vine peeking from ground. I will do it again today as no rain expected. any other tips I truly do appreciate it as if youve been successfull killing this monster pleaseeeeee share your tips. Id never judge as obviously I am not doing it as well as I could. No need to argue on the post as that was not my intention for anyone. I sincerely appreciate your time and honest opinions.

Here is an oval I considered just doing some base plants to liven it up and could leave rest of hill alone as I tend to the PI. a couple bags of mulch and a couple shrubs or perennials here could be answer???? Im sorta sad that I jumped the gun and got these $7 cypress plants at walmart and now wondering maybe they will get to tall for even the crevice of hillside ...or I could just keep them cut squatty in width. I love them but grrrrrrr right area? I worry about the salt truck killing everything lively down there in winter too so don't want to dump a lot of money in it. I also worry about someone stealing a wonderful planter on my mound sad as it is to say. I may get my hubs to make a rustic box for area fill it and if someone steals oh well.

There would be NO reason to spray "the same set of leaves" with Round-Up.

I get it that some people don't think their case is worth being made. I don't argue for the sake of arguing, but to straighten out misinformation, which I think is worth it. Claiming to have used a "new bottle" of Round-up also suggests the "ready-to-use" version. That would be the first mistake.

I have successfully removed PI with Glyphosate mixed to brush strength.

@NHBabs I have a big, as in big, patch of poisoned ivy at the border that needs a dose of Glyphosate. Today would be a fine day for that. It's on top foliage wise last I looked. I will need to go ponder that. A big hit can knock it back enough to make the remnants easier to pull.

I deal in population dynamics, not weeds.