Zone 5 Rapid Ground Cover

I have 3,000 sq ft of perennial gardens and over 135 different species just recataloged this fall. However, I have just spread weed killer on a sloped area between my house and the neighbor - full of all sorts of heavy weeds and vines. Once the area is plantable again in a week or so, I'd like to put in a fairly rapid growing ground cover in hopes of keeping too many seeds from floating in there and establishing. Most of my current ground covers take about 3 years to really get going. Is there anything you can suggest or should I cover with black plastic and replant small areas at a time?? Thanks for your kind consideration.

lily of the valley. each year it will multiply.

Perhaps some of the GCs listed in this link would work for you

http://www.ehow.com/list_7341597_ground-plants-steep-slopes-wisconsin.html

I know of no instant growing plants that smother the ground faster than weeds can germinate, If I need to keep a bed or area weed free after clearing it, I lay down the black woven horticultural fabric and lay bricks or heavy planks of wood to stop it blowing away,
This fabric will only prevent annual weeds from germinating, any bits of root etc from perennial weeds can and do grow through the fabric in time.
What I like about using the fabric is I can roll it up as I plant an area and reuse the fabric other times>
I actually use this fabric on very large beds planted up with shrubs, Rhododendrons, Camellia's and stuff that will be in the ground for many, many years as there is no way I could weed the size of our garden, a lot of people feel this makes there soil turn bad but to be honest, I have used this fabric and it is in place 20 odd years later and still the soil is fine (tested) I add liquid feeds, mulch on top of fabric and have found no problems from using it, it is woven therefore allows air and water to reach the soil.
Hope you find a solution that suit's your own need and good luck. WeeNel.

You can also use a pre-emergent treatment like AMAZE to stop seed germination.

OMG the Moon, I have never heard of any treatment that stops anything growing, is this ready to buy at garden centers? is it a chemical? and can you plant the same season as you used the treatment ? and how long between treatment and planting, sorry about all the questions but I like to be very selective about treatments on the garden even though sometimes things are last resort for me. Good luck. WeeNel.

Here is some info for you WeeNel.

http://www.ehow.co.uk/video_2329312_pre_emergent-selective-herbicide_.html

http://www.bayercropscience.co.uk/assets/Seasonal-Updates-and-Guidance/top-10-tips/M24286PFNA1-top-10-tips-for-pre-em-grass-weed-control-2011.pdf


http://www.avadex.co.uk/recent-information/Documents/August_Weed_Control.pdf

I'm sure the links mention this too, but the pre-emergents just prevent seeds from germinating. If you have weeds that have already sprouted, or if you have perennial weeds that come back from the roots every year then it will not help with them. Because it only affects seeds, if you're planting plants you can do it anytime, but if you're planting seeds then you need to wait because it'll prevent your flower seeds from sprouting just like it'll prevent the weed seeds from sprouting. If you prefer to garden organically, corn gluten is a good organic pre-emergent.

Ecrane and The Moon, thank you for all the info, I've been trying to find out more all weekend for UK suppliers to no avail however, if this is a new weed/ seed suppressor, I feel sure it will be in our country sooner than later.
As mentioned before I have had good results from blanketing over the soil but sometimes we wont to learn new things too.
Many thanks and happy gardening.WeeNel.

You are most welcome. And as e-crane stated, Corn gluten meal is readily available and organic for the control of weeds.

Neither corn gluten nor the synthetic chemical pre-emergents are very new--they've been around in the US for quite a long time so I'm surprised you don't have something available in the UK.