Another update, The black plastic sheets worked and were durable, we removed them in October, in November I sowed green manure/ winter rye which grew nicely. now I start digging, turning the soil and planting a rose with perennial border, about 4feet deep, in the front of the alottment. I went forscented roses, mainly teahybrids, a dwarf shrub and some scented polyanthas, all of them with healthy foliage, I don't intend to spray. perennials: some Calamagrostis for structure, Geranium at the front, some Phlox and Salvias, odds and ends that I collected for a while, I only hope zhe Phlox wont clash with the roses ;--) finally getting there, the border will probably need some editing, but the rough direction should be ok. happy gardening to you all, bye, Lin sheets in mid October, sulphureus Cosmos in the background (the role of plastic ran empty before the whole garden was covered...) And that's from Sunday, after digging, didn't manage to snap a pic of the newly planted bed from today ( not much to see anyway...)

I've got it all over. It is a type of vetch - not either of the crown vetches, as the flower is a vivid purple - but I can't now remember what, nor where I looked to find out. Try a local wildflower book, if you can't find it elsewhere, as it is a commonly growing plant. It's a royal pain, not least because it very easily breaks off from the roots when you pull at it, so the roots stay to resprout! It sends tendrils all over the place, and can, if really healthy, start to smother small plants. Because it IS sort of lacy, it won't do too much damage to larger plants, except entwine itself through them.

There are already native plants growing in my woods. Perhaps you have a native plant society in your area that could provide some of the natives for you that would be better adapted. Below is the WA one. I was surprised to find that when I piled up stacks of grass clippings to smother blackberry vines in an area, when it had decomposed down a lot of native miner's lettuce and Spring Beauty (Claytonia)- delicate little pink flowers also with an edible leaf, popped up. So sometimes the seeds are present for the natives and will sprout under the right conditions. Vinca minor is not too bad but Ajuga is awfully aggressive, and I'm someone who likes aggressive ground covers. I think a native would be better. I'm also trying to decide what to grow under a large maple where the leaf fall last winter killed the grass and only the dandelions and other weeds are growing at present, something low enough to run the mower over it if weeds get out of hand but tough enough to make it through our dry summers. I transplanted a little Wintergreen there, Gaultheria procumbens, but will need a lot more if I decide to use it. It is very choice but rather slow-growing. Good luck with your woods. Here is a link that might be useful: native ground covers

I have the same problem on a lot that I have to upkeep in a neighborhood where I have not yet been able to build a house. The banks are too steep to mow, and their steep slant also makes the banks stay very dry since the sides face east and west and since the slope drains very quickly. The spring before last, I planted some 6 inch tall growing ornamental blue grass plugs that where supposed to do well in dry areas. This last February I saw that the grass had not spread much at all. The plugs had just begun looking healthier. Well this spring I thought some groundcover 'Fairy' roses should fill in faster and accomplish on my banks what you expressed was need on yours. The good thing about 'Fairy' groundcover roses it that they root as they go, but do not spread underground by their roots. As far as keeping them from becoming invasive goes, I think top spreaders are much easier to contain than those that spread by roots. For sure they are easier to contain than the ground covers and grasses that spread by roots and top spreading growth. Those multiple form speaders are almost as hard to keep up with as the groundcovers that spread by seed. The 'Fairy' grows a nice thick mat very quickly; In the growing season it blooms continuously. it greens up much sooner after the winter freezes than most roses, and small pink flowers that fade to white in sun do not need to be deadheaded. and the canes do not have to be cut back over the dormant period. Keeping them out of places where they are not wanted is just a matter of trimming them back every once in a while. When mine fill in that much and start to over extend the area, I just plan to use a hedge clipper to keep the perimeter line clean. The trick will be to catch the spreading canes before they root out side of the desired perimeters. I do not know how my efforts of planting them will turn out. Hopefully all goes as planned or at least creates a situation that avoids erosion and tall weed problems. One good thing I have noticed is that 'Fairy' roses are very good at living through dry times; even recovering if during the early spring someone cuts all the canes back to ground level. That was a thing my husband did by mistake to one of them after only 6 weeks from the time I had planted it. A month later the roots of that rose, which he had not shredded , had grown new top growth. The little vines were pretty short, but they seemed viable. I was in awe of how they could do that just like some established rose bushes do from being cut back more carefully to go through the winter.