now that i've googled the correct spelling-(photos of it were misspelled ' ran. fUcaria' in webshots), here's what i've learned. soon to be R.I.P.ped out!! fig buttercup Ranunculales > Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus ficaria L. Synonym(s): lesser Celandine Lesser celandine is a short (up to 12 inches) herbaceous perennial that invades forests throughout the East, Midwest and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States. The basal leaves are dark green, shiny, and kidney- to heart-shaped. Flowers are showy, bright yellow, with 8 petals. It emerges very early in the spring with infestations often creating a green blanket along the forest floor. Lesser celandine invades moist forested floodplains. It is a spring ephemeral and grows vigorously, creating dense mats that exclude all other vegetation. It is a threat particularly to the native forest spring ephemerals that have to compete for light and space with this invasive. Lesser celandine is native to Europe and was first introduced into the United States as an ornamental. It is currently sold and widely planted as an ornamental.

Hello Silent C ......................................................................................................................................................................................... You are right to be concerned about erosion given the slope is 35 degrees. .......................................................................................................................................................................................... How much catchment area do you have leading to the slope (What is the area of land from which water will flow onto the slope?) ................................................................................................................................................................................. ........ This will determune how deep stormwater flows over the slope. The deeper the flow, the more erosion you will get. If it is only a few millimetres, you have nothing to worry about. Once it gets to a few centimetres, you will start having problems. If it is deeper than that, you can expect that the clay you dig up will start to be washed away along with any mulch. ................................................................................................................................................................................. .......... If you have a lot of water wanting to flow down the slope, and your plants are not giving you complete coverage, your best bet would be to have a table drain along the top of the slope to divert it away - prevent much from flowing down the slope. The log you envisage having there could help with that. It would be good if you could capture at least some of that water in a dam or tank or on-site detention storage that you could use to trickle feed water over the slope later to irrigate your plants. ................................................................................................................................................................................. ........... Otherwise maybe you could try groundcover plants such as Lomandra. I actually think if you are going to tamper with the surface, add topsoil etc., a hardy grass that can give complete coverage would be the best for preventing erosion in your situation (if you can find one). ................................................................................................................................................................................. ............. Best of luck, Frank.

I agree with your ID, common name trailing arbutus. The spring flowers have a lovely smell and it's a subshrub that should keep its leaves over winter in your area.

Polygonum sp. I believe.