Hi hbuch

By the way very cute pictures of the kids. (I had to look at all of them)

A few points which hopefully will be of help.

1. Ivy and Vinca and pachysandra all take a lot of time to get well established. So after six months don't feel too bad that your garden isnt looking spiffy.

2. There are some other groundcovers that do fill in faster. The downside to most of them is that they are generally not evergreen.

A few options.

1. Rip it out and plant grass next spring. Quick and easy, like using nuclear weapons.

2. Start ripping out everything you have now and plant a something a little more invasive but not evergreen.

3. Mulch. put down some sort of weed blocker (I personally like newspaper because it is biodegradeable) in between what you have planted, then put down mulch. Lots of mulch. At least 3 inches. That should take care of most of the weeding for now. The weeds will comeback, but they will be less nasty. Then you can add your own bulbs/plants as you feel like it.

Hope this is of help

Regards

Dave

Plant groupings of shrubs in the 1 to 4 foot height range and your weeds will be outcompeted. Shrubs could include low-growing varieties of Weigelia, Spiraea, Juniper, Hydrangea macrophylla,hollies or others of similar habit. Also conside larger accent plants such as a weeping cherry or crape myrtle. Plan before you plant and consider the view from the street.

The ivy you've planted will grow over your shrubs.
If you use herbicide now, you'll be able to plant in fall without the ivy. Nursery stock is on sale then as well and fall is an ideal time to plant hardy material. You may be able to get a tree cutting company to deliver woodchips for free.

Many thanks for the advice that's come through so far.

As much as I love the idea of having a variety of groundcovers out there, and as much as I love vinca, something tells me I'd better just go with grass for now (the nuclear bomb solution), and plant vinca or ivy again in a year or two (or maybe 5), when I have more time, maybe starting gradually with little plots among the grass.

Thanks again!

Heather

It's a bit steep to mow.

yeah, I thought about that too. And also the time spent trying to get this vinca into shape, and the fact that vinca and ivy take 3 years to get established (or so I've read).

So my latest plan is just to get more vinca somehow (think I'll order it online) and plant it every time I take a weed out. I can't remove all the weeds,but if I'm lucky there will end up being a majority of vinca and it will survive. Maybe if I start weeding earlier next spring that will help too.

Now what to do about these ugly stinkforn fungi?? Ugh.

Thanks,

Heather

Good Luck with the Vinca.

I would strongly suggest that as you weed you put down some sort of mulch. The type doesn't really matter that much. It will help keep the new weeds from germinating.

Best Regards

PS Here is a link for Vinca online

http://www.classygroundcovers.com/item--Vinca-minor-Traditional-%7B50-Bare-Root-plants%7D--235&affl=froogle

I think it's the perfect spot for a rock garden. It would take a little work and money, but it would look so pretty. Large, smooth stones holding back the soil with colorful flowers dripping down the slope.

You could also terrace the slope and put in 2-3 beds there with cascading flowers. I wish I had a slope.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rock gardens

Just a question. Are you or the kids going to use this space at all? It looks from the one pic that you do have a fenced backyard.
Also, if you do decide on a lawn, the best time to install is in the fall, not spring. The new lawn will have less competition from weeds. So you would only have to live through August and seed or sod this September.
My 2 cents, I know you don't have time to think now and it could take all day to get from point A to point B with a little one but I think you are wasting your time with the groundcover unless you really like that look - which is OK if you do. I just get the feeling you will eventually do something else once you get a little time back. Then you will have the job of ripping everything out. And what will you get anyway - just a big playground for the earwig population because they just love that stuff.
You might just start with a clean slate and mulch so you can visualize what you want a little better. Pick out a plant or a few that you really love and work off of that. The section of yard you are showing us is not terribly deep and will fill up pretty quickly if you consider the style Steve has suggested. Really, that in the end will be the least amount of work. Mulch, trim and a little weeding, a few flowers...and the brick makes a nice backdrop for many things.
BTW, plant sales have already started.

If you are in South Jersey, I have lots of ivy, vinca and ditch lilies if you want to come get them. My recommendation is you need to decide what you want on the slope, and start tackling a small section at a time, implementing what you want for a final garden. Absolutely put down 5-10 layers of newspaper under several inches of mulch as you weed and plant. The mulch can be grass clippings, leaves, any kind on mulch. You can even smother the weeds under the paper/mulch, without weeding initially, although some weeds are more persistant than others.

Don't sweat the fungus. They are usually short lived. My boys love using them for golfing practice.

Remember that Rome was not build in a day, and the garden is ever evolving. Set realistic goals for yourself, although the garden "chores" help me keep my sanity with the kids. Just try not to see the "ugly" spots, we all have them! (I'm talking about the garden here). I spent the first year in my house ripping out all the ivy which migrated from all my neighgors and completely over ran the flowerbeds. It took me several more years to get to the front bank, and I am still working on getting rid of the grass and lily of the valley there.

I agree with Annie; setting realistic goals is important. Your budget is also a consideration, and how much you like to garden. What do you want the front of your house to look like? Do you envision a flower garden, a grassy slope,or a nicely landscaped area with a mix of shrubs and plants?

My approach would be to Roundup the whole slope, after everything dies, pull out everything, then at least you'd have a 'clean' look. Then in the fall, as Loretta mentioned, do your planting. I think at this time of year, you're fighting a losing battle. Looking at your picture, it doesn't look like you have any edging material there, so I'd add some, till, add a fresh layer of topsoil, and start planting whether it's seed, sod, ground cover, or mixture of plants. Water regularly and the new plants will take hold, overwinter, and by spring those weeds won't have a chance.

IMHO-If you choose the groundcover, stick to one type.

I'd have a lot of fun landscaping your hill by adding some base plantings of a small tree or two, evergreen shrubs, rhodedendrons, azaleas hydrangeas, or some other plants then a stretch of perennials, and on the lowest part of the slope add ground cover. Mulch around everything. You'll have minimal weeding to do, a lovely look, and no mowing.

I did something similar in stages over time(my kids were younger at the time)except I have grass at the lowest part, but if you go this route, it's important to put your ideas on paper first.

J

Be careful in your timing if you decide to nuke the weeds. Those ugly things are your erosion control for your hill. My neighbors got rid of all the ivy covering their yard, and now a lot of the top soil has washed down onto the sidewalk and street. (Note that I am not advocating using any chemicals.)