KMolli, the url in your fourth post is the same as the working link in the second post. [Keep in mind that what you see in Preview is what you'll get in the final post. So if you don't see a photo in Preview, it won't appear in the final post. And if a link isn't clickable in Preview, it won't work in the final post. It is possible to post more than one photo in a single post; I believe you need to choose the "html" address from the different possibilities Photobucket offers.]

> huge bare spots that are ugly and I want to try to unify it and make it look attractive. I wonder why the pine needles aren't forming a (thin) cover. > I think the orange flowers are gazanias?? the clumping type. They'll (continue) dying out. > There is also some rosemary mixed in there. do they appear to be spreading (wriggly branches rooting)? what are the pale scattered things that look about 2-3"? If sandstone, then you could spread a thin layer of more sandstone to help the rosemary spread. _________ For covering purposes, I would mix the species. I don't know socal, but some of these might at least spur better suggestions... Asparagus 'Sprengeri' is pretty good for long seasons and bright shade. Has short sharp prickly hooks on stems. http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Asparagaceae/Asparagus_densiflorus.html Mahonias would probably settle at the top of the wall. I don't think the drier Mahonias will fill, but could be part of a mix. Dry coastal Salvias or hybrids (S mellifera, etc). They will probably try "running from" shade. Myoporum parvifolium. plain green cover (low shub) Coprosma x kirkii is another plain green cover, but I'm now looking in Sunset.. where they say it's not so dry growing as what i've seen. Maybe the one (or two?) i saw dry were just lucky. They had no competition and were well mulched, so... Erigeron karvinskianus, sort of weedy looking, but dense. they seem to live a long time for a herbaceous-looking plant. Geranium macrorrhizum. whiter foliage, else similar form. i've never grown it. Tough reputation. (but read the sunset description!) Malvastrum, but it will smother anything (such as slow children) in adjoining moist areas. (top of retaining wall is good barrier) Also I don't know how well it hangs on steeper slopes. It likes water but will survive with little water once it's large (which is soon, if watered). Will lose a lot of leaves if dry, showing a lot of stems (it seems to try to smother itself :-) ) Oenothera berlandieri. nice flowers. is a strong spreader (underground), but tends to die out completely. will not stay on a slope. goes to flat ground and swales. will likely go thru that "railroad tie" part of the retaining wall, so don't plant it near there. "Dusty Miller" Senecio(s) or Centaurea gymnocarpa. Won't live very long (on flat ground, but on a slope??), but will grow fast. Senecio wants full sun. Centaurea might grow well under high overhanging pine branches. (still wants sun) spreads/runs irregularly, good in the mix. Lavandula x 'Goodwin Creek' is pretty tough for mostly full sun (mixes ok with similar sized neighbors). Teucrium fruticans. "subtly" charming (bright overall color). won't cover anything densely (is a weak shrub) Mixes well with other shrubs. try Eremophila. Where you can see the flowers. Ballota is tough, though small. I'd pop a few in along top of wall. Socal warm season might be longer than it likes, though. Euryops, though often sheared (!gak!), are very good naturalistic shrubs. Essentially full sun. Acacia redolens. Caltrans tough. Not so great looking close up, imo. More like a thick haze than dense cover. Don't know how well it mixes. There are some larger tough plants. Plumbago. Cissus (vines). Eleaegnus. Tecomaria (you might want to keep the center pushed down.) Large fast Ceanothus (griseus) covers, will do ok in bright woodsy edge. Good in the mix. Research Junipers. Still very tough. I see this sometimes http://images.google.com/images?q=Kabatina+blight Not sure about that in Socal. http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i199/kates_mommy/BackyardHillside-1-1.jpg What's that thin multi branched treelet? http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i199/kates_mommy/BackyardHillside-3.jpg And try some "nice stuff" at the top of wall in this area...

Rather than using a solid cloth, look for jute netting. This is made specifically for erosion control purposes but is designed to plant through. It is affixed with staples just like the burlap cloth. There are various dealers of this product in the Seattle area. I am a bit concerned about the ivy roots remaining. When did you remove the ivy? Typically, English ivy will regrow from the roots rather easily and rather rapidly. It may make a great deal of sense to just let the ivy grow back. While it is not the best choice for slope stabilization, it apparently has been doing the job satisfactorily in your situation and I encounter it used for the same purpose in many other, highly sloped situations as well. I would be concerned that attempting to remove the root system - which you no doubt have determined is tenacious and widespread - will destabilize the slope even further. And you want to get this slope secured before we hit the rainy season. I do realize it is considered an invasive species and I would never suggest planting it but sometimes removing it causes more problems than it solves. If you do opt for the kinnikinnick, start with small (4") pots and plant directly into the native soil. This plant is native to this area and should adapt to our soil and climate conditions just fine. It will need some watering to get established and any low emission water source (drip or soaker) should work but be very cautious about over-watering and further weakening the slope. Luckily the kinnikinnick is not a very thirsty plant and won't need much water to get established. Don't bother mulching - it probably won't stay put and delays the spread of the GC's. In either case - leaving the ivy to regrow or planting with a new GC - use the netting to provide some degree of security until the plants fill in. May I be nosy and ask where in Seattle you are located? I've done a bit of erosion control work on various properties close to the Sound and even a landslide remediation project just south of Richmond Beach.

I do what Lisa does for the couple of hills i planted on.... I made dry stacked stone berms to capture the water and allow a place to fertilize etc. the stones looked natural and I covered with mulch anyway. When I didn't do this, they suffered for water and it all ran off. Perhaps you could interplant with some flowering shrubs such as spirea, Hydrangea, viburnum and your current lilac just to ensure good erosion control. Also, mulch heavily. Nature loves a vacuum and will fill that area with weed before anything can establish otherwise. Perhaps, you can make a plan and just start with smaller areas. I have a constant mix in mine as it's a north-facing wall at the top of the hill, but I've been concetrating on Hybrid musks to cascade downward with pink pet and white meidiland at the the bottom.