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Hillside Gardening

Steep slope - Removing exotics. What to plant?

16 years ago

A rather large, steep slope behind our house is now growing trees (15 year tulip poplars, some locust). It is also covered with privet and multiflora rose, plus other invasive plants. What is the best way to remove the invasives so they won't grow back? We live in the Mts. of NC. What would be some good steep slope plants to plant under the emerging tree canopy? Hope to start soon (early March) and really would appreciate good advice! Thanks!

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Comments (4)

bob64
16 years ago
Cut the invasives and immediately paint the cut stems with herbicide in high strength. I used native creeping red fescue grass on a steep slope with a bit of shade and it worked but don't know what is best for NC. After you cut the invasives monitor for regrowth and for new invasives to germinate and dispatch them as they arise. The Nature Conservancy website has management profiles for most invasives you will encounter. Some people use staghorn sumac or other thicketing native trees and shrubs to hold a slope.
hyla
Original Author
16 years ago
Bob, Thanks for the response. Some very good suggestions! I will read up on the red fescue. Also the staghorn sumac. I would also like to plant some understory dogwoods, but not sure about the risk of anthracnose. This area is very large (300 feet long by 100 feet up the slope) so I need to use plants that I can add that are not overwhelmingly expensive. I sure would like to hear some further ideas! Thanks in advance.
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bob64
16 years ago
I confess I do not know much about athracnose. In wet areas red osier or silky dogwood works well. Those dogwoods re-root again when their branches hit the ground. You can do a search for 'bioengineering' products. I recently purchased 50 willow stakes for about $54.00 including the costs of the shipping. If even half of them survive I will consider it a great investment. I bought my stakes from www.ernstseed.com but there are other companies that sell these things as well. My recollection is that NC has its own native plant society. They might have some good suggestions for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ernst Conservation Seeds.
bcomplx
16 years ago
Where are you in Western NC? When I lived in Brevard, I helped organize a Native Plant Stewards group, and we dug and moved natives all the time. Right now they're digging all sorts of stuff from a place where a road is going in.

In your neck of the woods, flame azaleas make awesome understory plants.

You get five gold stars for taking on the MFrose and privet. It is so sad to see those beautiful hillsides covered with that stuff.

Here is a link that might be useful: my website

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