Ground cover for a shady slope?
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Anonymous
Can anyone recommend a good ground cover for a sloping hill that's somewhat shady? Also, is the fall a better time to plant, or spring? I'm new to this whole "having a yard" thing.  Thanks!
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Anonymous
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Pachysandra, though it will take time to grow. Once it fills in it is maintenance-free and will look nice and lush.
I have also seen vinca and liriope though they are not my personal favorites. I would wait till spring to plant, since this winter is supposed to be pretty cold. |
Anonymous
All three are highly invasive in this area. There are easy to establish native alternatives that don't choke out wildlife and native plants. http://alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/recreation/parks/NonNativeInvasivePlantsArlington.pdf See Page 72 and cross reference with shade tolerance: http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake/pdf/chesapeakenatives.pdf This book is an awesome resource for native alternatives: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/habitat/native-alternatives-to-invasive-plants.pdf |
Anonymous
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There is nothing wrong with pachysandra. Our neighborhood has many homes planted with these on sloping front yards. They grow quite slowly. Same goes for liriope. They do show up on some invasive lists, but some common sense helps.
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Anonymous
| Hostas are great and very resilient. They are easy to divide as well. |
Anonymous
Well apparently most people don't have the "common sense" you have, PP, "Each year in America, more than 3 million acres are lost to invasive weeds…" http://policy.audubon.org/how-invasive-species-threaten-habitat Parks Services spends 100s of millions trying to quell invasive species: http://www.fws.gov/invasives/faq.html#q2 http://www.nps.gov/olym/naturescience/invasiveplants.htm http://www.nps.gov/plants/outreach/brochures/pdf/pca-invasiveplants.pdf We lack biodiversity which compounds the lack of habitat and damage done by pesticides: http://www.plantanative.com/bringing-nature-home.html The truth is people aren't responsible in not letting invasive wander out of their yard. Every little bit helps, so don't plant the invasive. |
Anonymous
Paranoid much? |
Anonymous
| NP here ~ maybe "invasive" just means fast growing, spreading and providing coverage? |
Anonymous
I can't believe how naive you are. No that's not what it means. Read the links, "Invasive species are harmful to our natural resources (fish, wildlife, plants and overall ecosystem health) because they disrupt natural communities and ecological processes. This causes harm to the native species in that ecosystem because they are suddenly competing with a new species for the same resources (food, water, shelter, etc.). The invasive species can outcompete the native species for food and habitats and sometimes even cause their extinction. Even if the native species are not completely eliminated, the ecosystem often becomes much less diverse. A less diverse ecosystem is more susceptible to further disturbances such as diseases and natural disasters." And no I'm not paranoid, 16:44. You're ignorant (and in denial.) You people realize Kudzu isn't native to the US right? If you ever look outside the window while driving down the highway and see the vine that covering every tree, that's Kudzu--from JAPAN. The monarch population is dropping b/c of lack of habitat: http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/01/31/monarch-butterfly-population We have no Ash trees anymore b/c of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer helped along by an assh*le landscaper that broke the quarantine and transported infected plants: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/dnrnews/infocus/emerald_ash_borer.asp Oh, yes, and let's not forget the lovely Tiger Mosquito, an invasive that here to stay. So if we plant a better diversity of natives, we'll get some of the wildlife (like birds and frogs) that would eat mosquitos. |
Anonymous
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OP, early fall is a good time to plant, but you do have to keep up with the watering, because early fall tends to be dry here. Spring is also a good time to plant.
I happen not to like pachysandra, and as the PP says, it's invasive, and it doesn't do much for the wildlife (bugs, birds, bees, butterflies, etc.) If you do like pachysandra, maybe consider Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens). Other plants to consider are wild ginger (Asarum canadense), hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula), white wood aster (Eurybia divaricate), Golden ragwort (Senecio aureus), and heart-leaved aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium). Of these plants, the wild ginger will probably spread the slowest. Here's a good reference: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring/infosheets/groundcover.pdf |
Anonymous
Np - this was extremely mean spirited and completely uncalled for. It seems PP was trying to find common ground between the two of you and be a peacemaker. |
Anonymous
We're not talking about "Kudzu--from JAPAN", OP asked for suggestions and there was some discussion of pachysandra. |
Anonymous
The usual garden pachysandra is also from Japan -- it's Japanese pachysandra, aka Pachysandra terminalis. And it's invasive in several Mid-Atlantic states. Yes, it's not kudzu, but it's still invasive. http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_010261.pdf |
Anonymous
Compared to a lot of posts on this board where people call each other all sorts of names, this was not what I consider a mean spirited post. Strongly worded, yes, but most people ARE naive and uninformed when it comes to invasive species. OP, I have a similar dilemma! My slope actually get varying degree of light- part is in shade pretty much all day while part gets a half day of sun. Someone recommended Pennsylvania sedge to me as it supposedly grows well in sun and shade, and then I was thinking of mixing in some flowering plants. |
Anonymous
While I agree that most people are not terribly well educated about invasive plants, I think that a far more constructive post would have actually offered alternatives to common invasive ground cover. People who complain but then don't offer any alternatives are annoying.
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