Fixing a hillside house after a landslide
13 days ago
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- 12 days ago
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Hillside Ivy Challenges
Comments (25)I would suggest waiting until after the rainy season, too, because then you can allow the area to remain dry for a long period of time, killing the ivy roots, making re-sprouts and attempted (because they often don't work all that well on rhizomatous plants with glossy leaves -- cut stem painting as suggested above more likely to be effective) use of herbicide less necessary. A few years ago, I personally removed more than 2500 sq. ft. of ivy (English and Canary/Algerian) from slopes in my garden soon after moving in, in late spring. I did it by hand with a little mattock, chopping roots and rolling the ivy up like a rug as I went along. I did not use herbicide and got very little re-sprouting, no doubt because the slopes were left totally dry all summer/fall after removal. I then planted with native shrubs just ahead of the following wet season. Erosion control fabric or netting can be used to reduce surface runoff. I also planted a native annual grass, Vulpia (now Festuca) microstachys and perennial grass Nassella (now Stipa) pulchra, to serve as groundcover while waiting for shrubs to grow in, though be warned that native grasses can and will happily reseed and make pests of themselves in other parts of the garden...but, hey, they're native! I don't have any experience with Acacia groundcover (only the nasty, invasive trees and shrubs we have in the Bay Area - A. dealbata, decurrens, and melanoxylon), but prostrate forms of ceanothus do okay up here in Livermore....See MoreEroding hillside
Comments (14)First of all there are few different causes of erosion on slopes.. sometimes its simply the steepness, sometimes its the type of soil combined with the steepness, sometimes its the type soil, combined with the steepness, overland flow, and rainfall impact. The vegetation one chooses to hold a slope must consider the type of erosion that is occuring, slope angle, slope facing direction (north, south, east or west), the soil condition and the CLIMATE. I would never use English Ivy to control erosion on a slope - because its invasive. It may be effective for rainfall impact, but most ivy's do not have the root system that is the desirable goal for slopes. Ivy has deep rhizomatous roots that spread readily, however they are not fibrous enough, nor do they create a dense mat that holds soil for sliding or under toe cutting conditions. Erosion control blankets vary in their function, depending upon the mat. But the primary function of most erosion control blankets is simply to hold the seed bank in place on the slope, until the vegetation is established. The blanket is considered temporary... the vegetation is the ultimate control and the blanket is designed to eventually decompose. Some erosion control blankets do have a long term control capabilities, particularly those selected to increase tension ability of the soil in water courses. The vegetation is still the primary source of erosion control, and the underlying netting funtions to increase the soil ability to withstand shear stresses. Grass (fescues or natives) with deep fibrous root mats are probably the most desirable for erosion control on slopes. This grass should only be mowed once (maybe twice) a year.... the longer the grass the better the root system and the better the erosion control. Here is a link that might be useful: Root Systems of Native grasses...See MoreHillside photos and slope (ugly)
Comments (14)Sammy, This is a significant problem for us as well, as we have steep ground and deep clay: our various slides revealed five feet of clay at least, and no rock yet at the bottom. I don't have any tried and true solutions, but can at least share what we're trying. Maybe some of it will be useful. I've gotten really cautious about disturbing the soil by plowing or earth moving: if it's more than can be shifted by a shovel or a hoe, we leave it alone. All our slides have been in areas in which the soil had been disturbed. And more and more I'm leaving herbaceous plants--weeds and grass--until I have something to put in their place, since, as Elemire pointed out, the ground benefits by the holding power of their roots, as well as by the organic matter they add. (However I totally agree that the poison ivy has to go.) We do a lot of minor terracing (to a height of about a foot in the garden) with boards and rebar, which are very plain indeed but work to define beds and paths, and make the former field look much more like a garden by giving it flat areas. I would use rocks for terracing if we had any. And we have deep-rooted trees scattered through the garden, hoping that they'll be well enough established in a few years to prevent slides, as so far seems to be the case. In the case of ground that requires restoration, particularly in the case of the slide areas that have lost their topsoil, I leave all herbaceous growth (that means weeds) of course, and intend to plant native colonizing shrubs. We've planted seedling trees with minimal success, so I think we need to back up to colonizing plants. The heavy mulch we keep on the ground slows down runoff and allows absorption of rain; at least I think it does. All of these strategies are thoughtful, but we have no training in soil conservation or related topics. I'm returning to Italy next week and will be able to see what my garden looks like after a month and a half here in Florida. My husband tells me that we got two inches of rain last week, which is excellent for August, and makes me hope that we might enjoy a decent fall flowering this year, the first in some years. Florida has been really hot and humid this year, so much so that I've hardly gone outside except to go swimming; and if I had a garden here I can guarantee you I wouldn't have been out working in it. This week the heat has finally eased up a little. In a climate where summers are hot and dry by this time gardens often look really ratty, young gardens especially. Yours looks like you're off to a good start: the roses look robust and healthy. I know that when I pass the summer in Italy I dedicate my garden time to pulling bindweed and Bermuda grass and it's no fun at all, but fall is on the way. I think that when our trees and shrubs get some size on them the whole garden is going to look a lot better, and will be more comfortable with the shade. These things just take time, as I keep telling myself. ......See MoreHow to maintain/plant this sloping hillside? Ideas?
Comments (8)Those wildflowers at the top of the slope look like mallows of some kind, maybe Lavatera. I like your palm tree. Looks like Trachycarpus. Very hardy and has flowers when it's taller. It also drops fronds, but not often. What you put on your bank really depends on how much time you have to stay on top of the care needed for the first year or so until any plantings get established. There have been some lovely suggestions offered already: the iceplant and the local Ceanothus. There are varieties that spread beautifully to smother. Otheres are taller and more bushy. They come in a small range of colours, mostly blues and purples and they can provide a succession of flowers over weeks. I liked the idea of the California poppies. They are so tough! And there are colours other than the standard 'orange'. You might want to plant 'pools' of them among Ceanothus to give a fairly strong visual impact. A 'Pacific' colour scheme suitable for strong sunlight. Pastels tend to get a bit lost in hard light. The iceplants can be very effective - big sheets of colour usually in 'hot' tones, although there are softer pinks available. And, for seriously tough sites - Gazania, Arctotis, Anigozanthis (kangaroo paw - which comes in a pleasant range of flower colours dark red to interesting green.) They're usually perennial. Climbers and sprawlers - Bougainvillea, Campsis, Trachelospermum (which smells delightful). Instead of climbing a trellis they can sprawl down the bank, needing only a trimming with shears to stay civil. Bougainvillea has thorns, however. As do the carpet roses and Rosa 'Nozomi'. That's a fairly steep slope so work across it rather than 'up/down' to reduce the risk of rain damage. Leave strips of grass to catch the run-off and protect your pool from mini-mudslides. At least until your plantings are spreading out. Before planting ANYTHING - check with your local garden centre to see if it's safe for newbies. Some things look so innocent when you see them as a cute little cutting in a teeny pot... and then you find they have rule-the-world tendencies. English ivy would be one. Cortaderia would be another. Many South African bulbs, such as Watsonia, can happily fill acres. So can Ornithogalum. And, if it's not too hot where you are, asparagus fern and ginger plant can take over in no time. If you should chance to like them - and don't mind some spiny-ness consider bromeliads. There are many hardy varieties that happily live outdoors, flower fairly regularly and make a good groundcover. And aren't fussy....See More- 12 days ago
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