Large embankment - what to plant

corkcuu

We build our house and dug out the site, very high embankment behind the plot, which 14 years later we're going to tackle and clear out the briars....what would be good to plant there? Wont be easy to access it so needs to be something that will just climb / low maintenance

looksee

We have the same, but ours was planted, up to a point, by the previous owners. I could suggest rubus tricolor would cover the bank, but it is very invasive, can I just say again, it is invasive. It will invade everywhere, are you hearing me? However if you are sure you will not want to plant anything else there it gives a good, solid cover and will hold the bank together. As I said though, it is invasive.

A smaller, less aggressively invasive plant is dead nettle, we have yellow deadnettle and it looks nice, varigated leaves and yellow flowers.

Heather is a possibility that will not mind poor soil. St Jphn's Wort is another possibility. There are some nice ivies - I was looking at Algerian Ivy Gloire de Marengo that grows in shade and is nicely varigated. Its a bit expensive but would be very easy to propagate.

What else is growing there beside brambles? That may give you a clue as to what might be happy.

The problem with planting this kind of bank is that because you have dug into the hillside it is at best subsoil. It would be helpful if you knew what soil you have, but there is likely to be minimal top soil so anything you plant is going to have to be tough. Also it is probably shaded by the house so gets limited sun.

The Continental Op

I was also going to specifically say rubus tricolor. I know a few banks where this has been used to good effect.

I'll also add most of the Vincas to the list. I'd also consider some of the ground covering types of conifers and cotoneasters.

corkcuu

Thanks I'll look in to those. It actually gets sun from mid morning for the rest of the day....the only thing I can see growing there is ragworth!

corkcuu

Oh its actually gorse is growing there...I'm clueless

The Continental Op

corkcuu wrote: »

Oh its actually gorse is growing there...I'm clueless

Let it grow. It will cover the bank eventually. Just be prepared to cut it every 5 or so years to keep it a bit under control.

corkcuu

I hate the gorse though

The Continental Op

corkcuu wrote: »

I hate the gorse though

It does tend to indicate a very poor soil. Do you have easy access to the top of the slope? If so put in some good ground spikes so you use a rope down the slope to steady yourself while gardening or grass it and cut it with a flymo tied on to a rope. You can lower the flymo down the the slope and pull it back up.

The Continental Op

I should have said that poor soil like that can be very good for wild flowers because they don't have so much competition from our commoner weeds. If its a bank with a lot of shale in it then alpines could do well. Trouble is of course weeding a steep slope.

corkcuu

Thanks. We're gonna clear it all out this week and see then. Like the idea of wild flowers, to give some colour,in with some of the other suggestions.

DukeCaboom

I saw a earthen bank in front a house last year which had cotoneasters planted (500) to be exact. Now that's a huge area but I'd imagine it would hold the bank together well.

looksee

The bottom line is, does the bank have any soil?

Gorse will grow anywhere, some wildflowers will be happy there, but you are never going to have a complete cover of anything much.

A friend of mine has a steep, south facing, bank of poor soil that has been planted for some time but the vincas have never taken over in spite of planting (many) dozens of them, most other shrubs and plants are struggling.

My bank is shale, the part that gets some sun has some mostly tamed rubus, quite a lot of yellow deadnettle and lots of bald patches where stunted weeds are growing. The only thing doing really well is a couple of heathers in total shade, the bigger of which is about 3 ft wide and 3ft high, and covered in purple flowers. Not sure what variety it is. I will try some cuttings this summer as it is attractive and useful.