Fixing a slope in the garden – ideas for planting slopes

A slope can also be secured by plants. Of course, it depends on the local conditions and certainly not every slope can be designed like this, but many. It is important to permanently green the slope area. The plants should quickly form many strong roots and be easy to care for. The roots prevent erosion and hold the soil in place so that it is not washed out. The ideal is to use different plants that are planted in strips that run across the slope.

On steep slopes, perennials are used in combination with shallow trees. Very steep slopes cannot be reinforced with plants.

Now you can plant an entire slope with just one type of plant. But that gets really boring in the long run. I’ve looked for different plants, so you can choose in peace. I did not attach importance to completeness. There are certainly many more plants, whether trees, shrubs, perennials or ground cover. The page would be infinitely long if you wanted to list everything that is possible.

Slope reinforcement through larger trees and bushes

• Cornelian cherry ( Cornus mas ) – 6 to 8 m high, dogwood type, very densely branched roots, well suited for slopes, usually multi-stemmed, blooms at the end of February, beginning of March, beautiful autumn colors, can handle any soil, needs warm and sunny stand, can be pruned, but does not have to, also tolerates heavy pruning, slow-growing, bird nutrient wood, disadvantage. Uncompetitive from the roots, other strong plants crush them
• Ash maple ( Acer negundo ) – 4 to 6 m high, 2 to 4 m wide, shallow roots with intensive root penetration, colorful foliage, green-white variegated leaves with pink shoots, mostly multi-stemmed, flowering period March – April, initially fast-growing, later less , very adaptable, sunny to partially shaded, tolerates almost any soil, can be cut easily to regulate the size, cut best from the beginning to avoid large wounds later
• Dogwood ( Cornus alba ) – usually called Tatar or Siberian or white dogwood, 3 to 4 m high and up to 4 m wide, flowering May – June, yellowish-white flowers, large panicles, whitish berries, beautiful autumn colors, shallow roots with intensive roots, sunny to partial shade, slightly acidic to alkaline soil, tolerates pruning well, undemanding, disadvantage: ground shoots sometimes form roots
• Italian alder ( Alnus cordata ) – one of the most beautiful alders, medium-sized 10 to 15 m high, 6 to 8 m wide, shallow roots with intensive root penetration, strong horizontal roots, 2 to 3 meters wide and up to 90 cm deep, ideal for slopes, flowering in March, yellowish green catkins, glossy dark green leaves, fruits – cones, sunny to partially shaded and completely undemanding in the soil, helps to improve the soil, disadvantage: occasionally endangered by late frost
• Pipe bush ( Philadelphus coronarius ) – 2 to 3 m high and 1.5 to 2 m in diameter, blooms in May and June, creamy white flowers with a strong scent, in autumn fruits, heart roots, strong and extensive roots, intensive root penetration, sunny to shady, Hybrids not too shady, copes with most soils, cutting possible, better just remove old wood, only thin out, disadvantage: magnet for aphids
• Japanese larch ( Larix kaempferi ) – broad, conical tree up to 30 m high, 8 to 10 m wide, broad, egg-shaped cones, summer green, early shoots, dull blue-green, beautiful autumn color, deep-rooting with intensive roots, sunny, sensitive to heat and drought, Soil fresh to moist and not too light, well tolerated by pruning, disadvantage: cannot cope with drought

Slope reinforcement through trees up to two meters high

Shrubby trees and some types of conifers make very good slopes. When planting, one should keep an eye on the final size. At first the trees are not that big, but some of them get meters high after just a few years. If you don’t want that, you have to be very careful when choosing.

• Butterfly bush ( Buddleia ) – deciduous shrub that comes with every floor cope, likes sun to partial shade, there are many flower colors, which change comes into the hillside, flowers from July until frost, root depth 40 cm to 60, so not really deep, The disadvantage is that the buddleia has to be cut regularly (annually) in order to develop better. You can let it grow without pruning, but the growth suffers a lot.
• Privet ( Ligustrum ) – evergreen shrub, blooms in June / July in white, can handle any soil, very adaptable, forms a dense network of fine roots that criss-cross the soil, ideal hillside plant, disadvantages: forms runners, which leads to site competition Can lead to neighboring plants and grows very quickly. Without a cut, there can be a wild mess of shoots. Alternatively, use the dwarf privet ‘Lodense’ – only 70 cm high, 50 to 60 cm wide, slow-growing, very easy on pruning
• Finger shrub ( Potentilla fruticosa ) – overhanging small shrub up to 1.5 m high and just as wide, tough, deep main roots, high proportion of fine roots, ensures good hold, blooms for months in white or yellow (May to September), likes full sun, Drought-resistant, nutrient-poor soil, cut every two to three years, without cutting the bushes bald, disadvantage: does not like soil compaction
• Ornamental quince ( Chaelomeles japonica ) – small, broad, bushy shrub with bulky growth and thorny shoots, up to 1.50 m high, tough and bulky roots at different depths, white, red, pink or orange flowering, often from mid-March, likes it more sunny to partially shaded, loamy and calcareous soil, cutting not necessary, many different varieties on offer, disadvantage: needs plenty of water in the sun
• Tamarisk juniper ( Juniperus sabina ‘Tamaricifolia’ ) – evergreen conifer, about 80 cm high, low and flat growing shape, branches spread horizontally, good root system, extremely deep-rooting, tolerates heat and drought, fruits – elongated, egg-shaped nuts, undemanding in terms of location and soil, works well in isolation, very frost hardy
• Feather sparrow ( Sorbaria sorbifolia ) – free-flowering flowering shrub, 2 to 4 m high, deciduous, small white flowers in panicles mostly in July, sprouting early, flat roots, but plentiful, beautiful autumn colors, particularly suitable for large areas of greenery, sunny to light partially shaded, Soil moist, but not wet, well tolerated by pruning, should also be thinned regularly, disadvantage: sensitive to drought, forms runners and thus spreads

Slope reinforcement through flat-growing shrubs

Flat-growing shrubs are ideal for planting on slopes. They usually don’t need a lot of maintenance and don’t need regular pruning. If you do not want to invest a lot of care work, you have to choose cleverly when selecting plants (variety).

• Cotoneaster ( Cotoneaster ) – deciduous or evergreen shrubs, from low ground covers to small trees, depending on the type (about 90 species) flourishes, individually or in bundles, in white, cream, pink, light purple or red, small fruits in red to reddish brown or orange to black, get along with any soil, sunny to shady, tolerates pruning, does not have to be cut, but it is often recommended, disadvantage: slightly poisonous and does not tolerate long periods of dryness
• Creeping juniper ( Juniperus communis ‘Repanda’ ) – about 30 cm high creeping juniper, up to 2.5 m wide, silvery striped dark green and soft leaves, deep-rooted, very well branched, flowers rather inconspicuous in April / May, small berry cones form, very robust ground cover, heat-resistant, slow-growing, cut-resistant, step-resistant, sunny to partially shaded, light and well-drained soil, otherwise undemanding, single or group planting, good ground cover
• Broom broom ( Cytisus scoparium ) – 1 to 2 m high, broad-growing, also creeping forms, countless large, yellow flowers from May, new varieties also with white, yellow-red, pink, red or orange-brown flowers, leaves are almost completely absent, taproots, very deep-rooted , low-lime, full sun, nutrient-poor soil, lime-free, humus-rich and acidic, easy to cut, should also be cut, disadvantage: poisonous, danger from game bites and ticks like to settle on it
• Creeping spindle ( Euonymus fortunei varieties ) – evergreen 30 cm high shrub, good as a ground cover, but also climbs upwards, also variegated varieties, flowers, but only on old shoots, flowers inconspicuous, mostly white or greenish yellow, slow-growing to moderately fast-growing, sunny to Shady, in the shade the bloom diminishes, pruning is seldom necessary, but possible, disadvantage: does not tolerate prolonged drought, only frost hardy to – 20ˆC
• Amethyst berry ‘Magic Berry’ ( Symphoricarpos doorenbosii ) – broadly upright with overhanging shoots, 80 cm to 1 m high and wide, flowers from June to September in pale pink, shortly afterwards the first magenta-colored berries appear, sunny to partial shade , no demands on the ground, especially good for extensive planting, form strong roots very quickly, shallow roots, densely branched and extensive, spread through rooting of ground shoots, which can also be a disadvantage if it is not desired.

Conclusion
There are several methods of paving a slope. If it is not too steep, planting is certainly a good solution. There are tons of plants recommended for this. There are always roses, whether ground cover or wild roses, especially dog ​​roses. They are really nice to look at, but the soil has to be weed-free and that is a problem in my opinion. You have to be very behind and remove the nuisances. If you want an easy-care slope, you shouldn’t use roses, as beautiful as they are. Instead of roses, I would use perennials. Almost all common, not too high perennials are suitable, such as stork’s paws or lady’s mantle. Otherwise it is advisable to mulch the area. This not only prevents weeds, but also protects against erosion. For steeper slopes, the landscape gardener usually recommends fabric mats or nets that dissolve over the years. But first of all they give you a good hold until the roots take over. In order to plant, you cut slits in the mats or, better, crosses.