Garden Topics:
Steep Slopes

A Beautiful Solution for Steep Slopes.

Stabilizing slopes with a daylily groundcover.

Steep and Slippery Slopes are difficult for gardeners and plants. Water, instead of soaking in, runs off quickly, leading erosion. Conventional thinking calls for ground covers on slopes, when "ground holders" might be a better choice. Ground covers such as ivy, vinca and pachysandra can cover hillsides in time, but they don’t offer much in the line of color and excitement.  Daylilies on the other hand are extremely colorful and are considered to be "ground holders" because their fleshy, water filled roots form a dense, permanent mat that will help hold the soil even if the foliage is damaged or cut back. The roots trap water as it runs down the slope, storing it for use during dry periods.

If your slope is too steep or too large to economically plant with potted daylilies, consider using bare root plants. At times we have excess plants in our display beds and they can be obtained for a reasonable price.

Since daylilies take a couple of years to establish, you may want to sow annual rye grass, or a fast growing annual flower seed mix, to hold the soil until the daylilies take over.

Daylilies desire full to partial sun and should be planted 18 to 24 inches apart. They will eventually crowd out the annuals, along with the weeds. For quicker growth, daylilies respond very favorably to the regular application to water and fertilizer.

 

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