No, foxesearth, I've not looked on that site but I will. Thanks My fear with the plot is that briars, privet hedge, and youpon will take over. It is a freshly prepared site so there are still many roots and runners underneath the soil. We bulldozed it this winter and had as many stumps removed as possible but unless I use (and I don't even like the word) "ROUNDUP" I know I will have lots of stuff coming back, in fact it already is. So that is why I need to be able to mow. The wildflowers are coming from a man in Missouri that prepared them exclusively for this area. They are in route and should be here soon. Everything he is sending will bloom. No grasses. I will post the details of whats in the mixture as soon as it arrives. We will be having a sister plot that will be seeded grasses for the quail. I can ask my husband what will be in it but I know one of the grasses is millet. we will plant as soon as possible, It's time now. Ed wants to rake it with a rake he attaches to the back of the tractor and then he will use a cultipacker - probably mispelled this- to press the seed into the ground so the rain won't send them to the gulf of mexico. we will sow them by hand but that's no big deal. No fertilizers or anything, we think they will be hardy enough to make it on their own. we are considering irrigation but are not sure at this point. Thats more and time and expense. I am in zone 8. We are in the south mississippi area. McComb/Magnolia to be exact. As for overwintering I know that they will be there in this area even if there is no host plant. Though I'm sure something in there will be a host. Plus you know how they like to crawl off away from the host and that concerns me I hope I've answered your questions. Let me know. Butterflutter

I completely agree that it is a lot easier to select plants that will tolerate the conditions than it is to change the conditions on the hillside. However, some cut banks have newly exposed clay that might not support much vegetation for a number of years while natural processes slowly change a clay subsoil into a clay soil that can support plants. If this is the case, then you might need to do something to the soil to make planting wildflowers - even wildflowers adapted to clay - feasible. I would consider planting a cover crop. This would be a fast growing ANNUAL crop that will create lots of organic matter, break up the soil with its roots, then die. Oats are popular for this. Annual rye grass is too, but make sure you plant only annual rye, not perennial rye. You might need to break up or at least scratch the surface of the soil before you sow the seeds. I would plant the oats really thickly. For color you could add a few sunflowers to the oats - just use sunflower seed sold for feeding wild birds. Don't plant any perennial plants. If you ask around, you'll get lots of recommendations for perennial plants to cover slopes, and some of these would probably grow, but they would keep growing ifor years and prevent you from eventually planting wildlfowers. If the oats grow well this summer, next spring you can plant wildflower seeds into the dead oats. I'd select species that are native, tolerate clay, and you like. I would not plant any "wildflower" seed mix. Most of the seeds in mixes are not native, and many won't be well adapted for your hill. I think picking out species is the best part of the process and will entertain you over the winter. There are lots of websites that describe wildflowers and how to grow them. I usually try to compare several websites or books decribing each plant to make sure I know a little about each plant before I try to grow it. You can expect despite careful planning that some of the plants you select will thrive, while others won't grow well, This can't be avoided. Eventually you'll know what grows well and looks good on your hillside, but it will take a few years. If there are similar slopes in the area, check out what grows on them this summer for ideas. Expect that most of the plants along a road or behind a building will be non-n ative weeds you wouldn't want to plant, but a few will be natives.

Those are so cool looking. A friend of mine gave me some seed a couple years ago. I found it the other day - tucked away in a "safe place." So I think I will try planting it next spring. They reseed easily so you'll have more next spring.

Geranium dissectum possibly.