Ground cover for shade/hill?

4 years ago

Northern Virginia, zone 7b. we have a backyard that slipes down to a creek, and while one side grows grass fairly well, the other was 10 years of annually bringing in topsoil and trying to grow grass with minimal results.

decided to mulch it in, but any heavy rains just wash the mulch down hill, so went to the idea of a ground cover, and filled it with vinca minor, with the idea it would eventually fill im the space.

In year 2, didnt see any expansion of rhe cover, so doubled the density….but i dont see any growth beyond what was originally planted. with even more tree roots exposed from erosion.

Do i need to use a different plant, add even more vinca, bring in topsoil and grade? I’d like to do aomething to keep the yard from continuing to erode.

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Comments (6)

Christopher CNC
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Your specific environmental and site conditions along with your garden practices are going to affect how quickly the Vinca minor settles in and starts to grow, My experience in WNC is that vinca sits there for a couple years before it explodes in growth.

I'd stick with the vinca and give it more time and attention to what it wants. A very light mulch or compost on the planting area that does not bury the vinca starts would help. If it washes away, put it back.

If you are using Preen or any other chemicals to keep out the weeds, stop it.
laceyvail 6A, WV
4 years ago
I'd use Geranium macrorrhizum rather than vinca--more interesting and, unlike vinca, not invasive (and I do mean invasive into native woodland not simply aggressive in your yard).
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cecily 7A
4 years ago
Have you considered terracing the slope?
David Hollingsworth
Original Author
4 years ago
We're not using Preen or any other herbicide in the yard. Definitley ok with other ground covers to fill in the area. I'm not going for anything 'decorative', other than looking like it belongs, but the current coverage in year 3 is pretty abysmal, after putting a couple grand into plantings in year 1 and 2 for what is about 300 square feet.

What would you suggest for the (supposedly) grassy areas around the stones/path? I'm OK with trying grass again, but the area gets so much water runoff down the slope, it's hard to get it to hold long enough to take root.

AFA terracing, we did that on the other side of the back yard where it gets enough sunlight to grow grass. To do that on the sloping part of the yard would require dealing with the trees on that side, which I'd like to leave in place, as well as not spend what it took to get this wall done.
cecily 7A
4 years ago
Is the run off coming from a downspout? That could be directed through a swale.
David Hollingsworth
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
There are two downspouts on that side of the house. That's got to be part of the issue. we may need to deal with that as part of the solution. the area between our house and next door is a runoff area as well, since our yard slopes toward the neighbors. Even dealing with that, need to figure out that to put down to minimize future erosion.