What plants should we plant on a newly cleared slope?

k8eannett

Hi All, 
I'd appreciate some advice please on what to plant on the bank/slope behind our house. We cleared the common goarce (you can see in the photo above) last summer, put weed membrane down then woodchips on top all along the bank which spans at least 50ms.  We also planted a cherry laurel hedge along the fence perimeter to provide some shelter as we live high up surrounded my mountain and agricultural land.

We are now at the stage we would like to plant along the bank to help with weed control. Hubby and I are both new to gardening and would appreciate advice of what perenials plants would be best to plant along this slope.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Perki

That's quite a border to fill. I know you've said perennials but with the weed membrane it makes it difficult to make a impact with them dotted around in my opinion ( the weed membrane gets in the way ), the border will probably lend its self to a shrub border better, you can add perennials like peonys and maybe some other which don't need planting partners to set them off. 

You need to add a bit more info - soil condition clay / loam / chalk / sand . How much sun but it looks like it will get plenty and soil PH , You may have free draining acidic soil with the gorse seemly taken well there.  Are you in a cold region like Scottish highlands ?  

Have you got any ideas / garden style what you want to look like ? do you like English cottage gardens / formal gardens / wildlife in mind ?

Loxley

Well I wouldn't make myself very popular if I suggested gorse.... but it kind of worked!

K67

I would have suggested Rosa rugosa as you can buy them now bare root, grow fast and are scented, but do look awful in winter but they spread by their roots growing every which way so weed membrane might stop this

Butterfly66

That is a very large area, what budget have you got available? I ask because that may help inform more useful suggestions. Ideally given the size of area you need plants that will spread but as already mentioned the weed membrane will stop some plants doing that effectively. Perennials tend to spread from the centre outwards so need bare soil they can spread into and send new shoots up from. Do you have a greenhouse or membrane free bed anywhere you could use to raise plants?

It may be worth prioritising areas to plant and removing the membrane from those areas so that your perennials can spread and self-seed. You can reinstate the bark, once you’ve planted, to help reduce weed growth. You will also get more impact from several groups of plants than single plants dotted through the whole space. The remaining membrane/bark areas in between would give you good access for maintenance. 

Rosa rugosa as suggested is tough. You could also buy these as hedging plants which are much cheaper than when sold as “ornamental” even though they are exactly the same plants. However I’m guessing (maybe wrongly) that shrubs/natural/wildlife are maybe not your thing given you’ve taken out the gorse? 

Looking at plants recommended for coastal gardens is good for identifying those that can cope with being exposed and windy sites.

If you can give a bit more information as @Perki suggest we could try and make some specific suggestions

LToby

Considering the slope - perhaps consider woodland plants that are drought resistant, and thrive in exposed areas. Unless you will incorporate certain type of watering system ... however, all will be dependent on type of soil that you have.

Liriodendron

@k8eannett - would you mind telling us roughly where you live?  Otherwise we can't make sensible suggestions about what might grow happily where you are...