Hi Dixie Chixie! How much sun does the slope get, and how steep is it? Are you looking for an evergreen groundcover (which I think would be better in this situation), do you want something low to the ground, what is the soil like here? I don't think you'll find too much that flowers all season.

My first thought was sedum - which, I have to admit, is what I tell everyone to plant on a slope, lol! I absolutely love my creeping sedum. I have a very small slope - only about 5 to 6 feet high, and not very steep at all - which I have covered in sedum Westeinphaner's Gold (sp?). It has tiny yellow blooms in spring, with a bit (but not much) of rebloom. You can leave the seed heads up for interest too. In the cold weather, the leaves turn a burgundy/purplish color which is very nice. It only gets about six inches high. However, mine is in full, hot sun next to the street, and the soil is poor and sandy. I don't know how it would do in partial sun or the soil that you have.

There are several other kinds of creeping sedum - I also have kamschaticum, seiboldii, and John Creech. Do some research on creeping sedum and see it if fits your soil and light requirements. It's a neat plant.

Other groundcovers - and again, I'm not sure of your sun/soil conditions - include lamium, sweet woodruff, and chrysogonum, all of which can take shade (and which you can get with flowers that are not pink!) and creeping phlox, which I think needs more sun.

As for a reputable mail-order company, Bluestone Perennials is the way to go. They have a very good reputation, and they used to offer groundcovers at a good price, something like 12 for $24, although unfortunately I don't see that offer in their new catalog this year. But check them out.

Good luck! I know what you mean by overwhelming. Sometimes its like being a kid in the candy store!

:)
Dee

Welcome to the NE forum!

If you are looking for erosion control, or to slow water running down hill all year, you need a perennial groundcover, ie a plant that survives over the winter and doesn't need to be replanted each spring. MOST perennials don't flower continuously, the way some annuals do.

If you want something herbaceous (that dies to the ground and is bare in winter) that blooms for a long period of time, one of the true geraniums might do; they come in many colors other than pink. People swear by Rozanne (if I've spelled it right) - but I'm not sure how pink it is.

You might want to try planting a variety of different things, including some evergreens for winter interest. You could include some heaths for winter bloom, or just plant many different heaths and heathers for a very long - almost continuous - succession of bloom. Then you'd also have the interesting foliage colors and textures year round. That look isn't right for every setting, it's a little "wild" looking - but can be really nice in an open area.

Herbs might do well there, too, and a few of them, like thyme, are nearly evergreen. They like well-drained locations, so hillsides are idea. Interplanting lots of varieties of thyme might work, adding taller ones like lavender and something like sunset hyssop (agastache) and russian sage (perovskia) for variety.

One little-used low-growing plant that I love is tunica. The foliage is very fine, bright green, and the tiny flowers bloom for an incredibly long time.

The favorite mail-order nursery on this forum, if there is a favorite, is probably Bluestone perennials, because they sell small plants at reasonable prices. There are many others - believe me, I've shopped at all of them! If you find something that you like at another nursery on line, just be sure to check the garden watchdog before you deal with a new company. You can google that site, I can't recall the URL at the moment but it's easy to find. Read the reviews, don't just look at the average ratings, because lots of people make unreasonable complaints (the plants were too small, too expensive, died when I didn't water them, etc etc)

Luckily you have several months to plan this hillside, because the planting season is over until spring. Just don't rush into anything, and be sure to avoid "quick growing" groundcovers that are available locally for low prices in spring - some of them may turn into long-term headaches when you get more into gardening and decide to remove them.

Lots of great gardeners on this forum, I'm sure you will get many good ideas here. Don't be overwhelmed by your project, we'll help you plan it and, hopefully, it will be an enjoyable project.

Thank you for these responses. (I thought I had replied days ago, but the post appears to have disappeared!)

Esp. thanks for the garden watchdog tip. I am reading a lot online and with no experience, need a source like that to help me out.

So much to do, so little time! LOL! I just read about winter sowing - thinking about doing that now, too!