What are some good xeric clumping or spreading plants for holding down steeper slopes? My garden is on a hill with clay soil and has some gentle and some steeper parts & I've realized I need to stabilize the steeper parts more. The best plants I know for this are Hesperaloe parviflora (esp the 'Brakelights' cultivar) and then some shorter clumping aloes, like 'Safari Sunrise', 'Hedgehog', 'Topaz', 'Blue Elf' and even Aloe vera. I've used Aloe brevifolia for this too, though they grow more slowly. The Hesperaloe is pretty ideal because it has a tough & binding root system and it clumps up nicely without suffocating itself & looks great in mass & has no spines!
I've been looking for agaves that do this, and I have a dozen gallon pots of what I believe is Agave 'Red Margin,' which is like a greener 'Blue Glow' & offsets lightly enough to replace the ones that bloom without becoming a suffocating mass. I guess I could also use A. lophantha 'Quadricolor’ & A. lophantha ‘Fatal Attraction’ of which I have several plants. I've come to realize I can't use agaves that don't offset before they bloom & die because they'll create problems down the road. What do people think of A. colorata for this purpose?
I'm sure I'm overlooking other plants as well though. Any suggestions are welcome.
Slope/hill landscaping advice
- Viegener
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- Melt in the Sun
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Re: Slope/hill landscaping advice
Carpobrotus 
Hesperaloe isn't going to spread very quickly...I have a hard time picturing it being an effective anchor plant. How bout a picture of the area(s)?
Hesperaloe isn't going to spread very quickly...I have a hard time picturing it being an effective anchor plant. How bout a picture of the area(s)?
- Azuleja
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Re: Slope/hill landscaping advice
I assume you're trying to get more creative than ice plant or cape weed? How about Cistus ladanifer? It spreads with very little watering and has nice flowers. Lantana spreads out nicely on a slope and is pretty tough. We have a creeping manzanita, but it doesn't grow quickly.
- Viegener
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Re: Slope/hill landscaping advice
I've had ice plant of varying kinds and lantana. They are both ok but they tend to have few roots & a mass of stems, so the erosion continues underneath them. In one area I'm trying lots of little Euphorbia 'Sticks on Fire' that I rooted.
Will take some pics & post them here.
Will take some pics & post them here.
- Spination
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Re: Slope/hill landscaping advice
Yeah, the knock on iceplant is the shallow root system, ineffective for erosion control.
Here's some info I was perusing
https://dengarden.com/landscaping/Good- ... for-Slopes" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.familyhandyman.com/garden/s ... und-covers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
if you like that rock parslane (Calandrinia spectabilis), I have that, and it's easy to grow from cuttings. Roots fast, grows fast, and you can make many more plants from your own future cuttings as well.
Here's some info I was perusing
https://dengarden.com/landscaping/Good- ... for-Slopes" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.familyhandyman.com/garden/s ... und-covers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
if you like that rock parslane (Calandrinia spectabilis), I have that, and it's easy to grow from cuttings. Roots fast, grows fast, and you can make many more plants from your own future cuttings as well.
- Viegener
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Re: Slope/hill landscaping advice
These are useful. I've had Calandrinia spectabilis in proper beds with pretty good soil and they spread too much for my liking, but I will try them on a slope. The flowers are loud & look great at a distance...
- Spination
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Re: Slope/hill landscaping advice
If you need cuttings, let me know. A small clump I planted last year exploded in growth...
- Viegener
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