Recommended plants? 45° slope/east facing

Sulla Felix

Just to explain, the house I'm in was originally stables. So it's long sides face east/west rather than north/south. The slope was cut into to quite deeply for the building. From the south end at a height of about a metre high to the north end where it's a good 4 metres tall.

So, we've a steep enough slope, east facing so no evening sun and with a house in the way of early sun. Right now it's populated by what looks to be common grasses, some brambles, yellow furze and a couple of year old ash tree sapling. I'm guessing the slope soil isn't too fertile because the top soil wouldn't have been graded back. The flat at the top of the slope is quite good, lush grass and a lot of thistles and nettles right now.

I'm going to pollard the ash at about a metre tall. I really have no idea what to put down. I can grow stuff in a pot no problem (mostly) but because the area is so difficult to work on I'd like something pretty low maintenance.

So, any recommendations? Ground coverage would be good, not too fussy on flower colours or anything like that.

Sgt Pepper 64

Sulla Felix wrote: »

Just to explain, the house I'm in was originally stables. So it's long sides face east/west rather than north/south. The slope was cut into to quite deeply for the building. From the south end at a height of about a metre high to the north end where it's a good 4 metres tall.

So, we've a steep enough slope, east facing so no evening sun and with a house in the way of early sun. Right now it's populated by what looks to be common grasses, some brambles, yellow furze and a couple of year old ash tree sapling. I'm guessing the slope soil isn't too fertile because the top soil wouldn't have been graded back. The flat at the top of the slope is quite good, lush grass and a lot of thistles and nettles right now.

I'm going to pollard the ash at about a metre tall. I really have no idea what to put down. I can grow stuff in a pot no problem (mostly) but because the area is so difficult to work on I'd like something pretty low maintenance.

So, any recommendations? Ground coverage would be good, not too fussy on flower colours or anything like that.

Low growing stuff like you see in parks I would think

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. repens (Californiam Lillac)
Alchemilla mollis
Cotoneasters
Euonymus fortunei
Geranium 'Ann Folkard' or others

http://www.coblands.co.uk/products/174/Plants/Good-Ground-Cover

The Garden Shop

A fast growing lonicera pileata will cover the bank quickly (The same is used outside Dublin Corporation)

Or Maybe hypericum calycinum as its also fast growing and flowers yellow

bbam

Sorry to jump in. But would they be drought tolerant too?
I have such a bank and it dries out badly

padi89

I posted this before but here it is again

You could plants lots of primroses including some varieties from kennedys.

They did a section on this last year on gardeners world with carol klein the area was a steep shady bank.
The plants she used were as follows

Vinca minor f.alba Gertrude Jekyll
Polypodium vulgare common polypody
Asplenum scolopendrium Harts tongue fern
Pulmonaria officinalis Common Lungwort
Euphorbia amygdaloides Purperea
Snowdrops

Suggested wild flowers and welsh poppies
Plant also toward the upper half of the slope as the seed will fall down spreading faster

BBam all of these will cope with dry shade.

Sulla Felix

Thanks very much everyone, done great looking suggestions in there!