Yikes. Rocky clay is definitely a challenge. Apple trees and lilac bushes should be okay in clay soil, but maybe a better result would be wildflowers. Once established a wildflower meadow can be lower maintenance. You will have to water to get established at first. You'll also have to burn or mow at least once a year or you will get weeds again. If this sounds like something you'd like to try, go to the link and check out their wildflower mix for clay soils. At the very least, you'll get some ideas for perennials for your soil type. They also have information on maintaining the meadow once established. Best of luck! Heidi Here is a link that might be useful: Prairie Nursery

It sounds very pretty! My only slope is in a sunny area but I do have rocks and shade and have tried lots of different plants in my shade gardens. My trees have very greedy roots so plants that are drought tolerant do best for me. I planted several creeping phlox on a slope (in the sun) and just put a couple bricks in front of each plant to hold it in place until its roots were deep enough to hold it there. That kept the rain from washing them away. I don't remember if I removed the bricks later or if they're still under the creeping phlox. I think it will make a difference which way your slope faces. If it faces the north, it will stay more moist. If it faces the south or west, it will get some dappled sun and more wind in the summer. I'm linking a photo I came across on the internet below. I like the way the rocks curve down(up) the hill, almost an s. Here is a link that might be useful:

Near street/sidewalk. Area is very exposed to wind and blasts of zone 8b cold every so often. The summer humidity, hurricanes, and 8b cold limits me greatly. Evergreen preferred. Drought tolerant > Disease resistant > Wind tolerant/Shade _______________ Olives Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree) - can't find and seed germination looks very difficult Carob - conflicting reports on humidity; tap root sounds very deep KEI APPLE Dovyalis caffra Natal plum - too hot, but would really like Pawpaw - too hot and fruiting will never happen; bigflower pawpaw looks like it would work. Jujube Raisin Tree Would prefer something I don't have already: apple, persimmon, pomegranate, pineapple guavas, citrus, plums, pears, loquat, fig, mulberry, jelly palm,

The boards on that fence look suspiciously like green wood to me, unless they have been protected with something. A fence like that wouldn't last long in western Ks, not with our wind. Also I can't tell if they are wood posts or covered with wood. At least you got the pretty side. I have a new shadow fence on the south side of my yard, 6 ft is our limit, but since every yard on this block drops a foot, it is really 7 feet. The reason for this fence is I'm trying to block out all the soccor balls that find their way into my yard. What a nuisance, last year I lost a lot of my vege plants, and have a broken tree peony, a flying soccor ball can do a lot of damage, and now another pest has invaded. I think every child around me got a drone for Christmas, Of course they don't know how to control them, so I'm constantly having to fish one out of shrubs ect. This is going to be a whole new way to garden along this fence. I've been watching the shadow line for a month now, and trying to figure how much sun I will have, of course it will be ever changing as the season progresses. I'm hoping I can plant daylilys and clematis this spring, I need to break up this 100 foot of new thats staring at me. half of the 100 feet will be in my vege garden. I'm afraid I've built myself a gardening nightmare. Help!