Suggestions sought for sloping beds on east and north sides

I have two beds I would really like to do something with.

The first one faces east. It extends about 15 feet from the house before beginning to slope down to the driveway and a retaining wall that borders the driveway. It gets morning sun, and the amount of sunlight is further limited by two mature red oaks near the house, one at the corner of the driveway, the other at the northeast corner of the house. It's probably 40 feet long and 30 feet deep.

When we moved in, the bed was filled with Asian jasmine. I got ambitious, intending to make it a showpiece, and removed the Asian jasmine. But I can't figure out what to fill the bed with. The biggest obstacle is that mulch washed or blows away, leaving me with a lot of weeding to do.

The second bed is on the front of the house. It was filled with English ivy when we bought the house. The problem with this bed is that, between the shade from the red oak at the corner and the northwest orientation, it stays pretty shady -- until about 3:30 p.m. during the summer, when it gets blasted by late afternoon sun. This bed is probably 30 feet long by 15 feet deep. I have some dwarf yaupon hollies and dwarf nandinas up against the slab.

I've thought about a row of Anthony Waterer spirea across the front of the second bed. They would obscure the bare ground between them and the nandinas and hollies, meaning I wouldn't have to worry about what to fill the space with or have to weed as often.

Any ideas?

A pic of the first bed:

A pic of the second bed (The third bed, in the background across the sidewalk, was full of English ivy before the summer drought. It dies, and I've plated Asian jasmine there. It gets full shade.)

Not much help with what to plant but I couldn't help but turn that last photo.

Well, I'm totally impressed you got all the asian jasmine and english ivy out.


As far as the mulch driting away, can you gently rework the terracing, at least as an interim measure? Even with that flat edging stuff, or use some downed limbs if you like a more woodsy appearance. Not real high borders, but standing up straight and more closely spaced down the slope. Get some long-fibered mulch, not chips, will help it stay, too. Or pine straw, even.

Depends on what you want. I'd probably try to get more color and a cottage garden-ish style. (Another approach might be to go with foliage textures and shades.) Stick a possumhaw out at the corner. Put in some spring-flowering bulbs - they'll get nice warm sun in the winter when the oak leaves are down, then surround them with perenials for the summer (phlox, penstemon, maybe a corner of taller ones like coneflower). Beauty berry. Mistflower. Any understory trees - prune them to stay small if you like. Or coral honeysuckle if you just want another groundcover.

Be sure and check how it will look from inside looking out, not just from the street looking at the house.

Sounds like light would be a limiting factor in both beds. I would plant some xeric perennials that can take part shade.

I grow zexmenia and blackfoot daisy in part shade and they do pretty well with little watering. Both are good for erosion control on a slope.

C

I have Frogfruit in an area that gets 80/20 shade/sun. It gets blasted by late afternoon sun in the summer and it thrives. I planted it there (under the eaves) so that it would hold down the mulch. Might be a good ground cover for your area, and it's a host plant for a butterfly (which one escapes me at the moment).

Carla

Light is definitely a determining factor. Anything that's even slightly phototropic is going to lean eastward in the first bed ( I have three beautyberies doing just that). Further down that slope, the ground gets more exposure, but that's where the slope steepens and water retention is a lot less. I've tried Mexican heather as an annual in that area -- it's pretty cheap in 4-inch pots in the spring -- but I can't seem to keep it watered enough for it to cover by early summer. I'll be able to fill some of the space as I divide some daylilies this winter, and there are some naturalized irises across the street that I could assist in finding a new home.

I'll check out some of your ideas. Thanks much.

You should visit Josephine as she lives on the northwest side of Arlington. Her South side is a slope and you won't believe what all she has planted. She must be busy or out of town or she would have responded to you.

She also has sun on that slope but she sure can give you some good suggestions.

Well, sometimes I shy from telling people about it because most people don't care for my type of gardening.

I am letting my garden become native as fast as I can. Yours is beautiful.

Thank you Christi.

Josephine your yard is beautiful and you know it! As for the use of natives, you don't have to have a natural landscape to use them. Plenty fit right into a manicured flower bed. They simply can't be beat for taking the brutality of a Texas summer...
C
Did you plant any of the seeds yet?

No, not yet, but thank you very much, I hope it works, I'll probably get it done after Thanksgiving.

I did my usual scatter the seeds like feeding chickens a few days ago. Timed it just right for the great rain we had.

LouC my way of planting seeds too. lol

Isn't that the way nature does it? yeppers.

Where you have enough sun, you might plant a grass or two. I am especially fond of Miscanthus 'transmorrisonensis' which is hardy zones 7 to 10. The reason I like this grass is that it is basically evergreen. It starts blooming early (for me in April) and blooms right up to frost. Men like it better than other grasses because it rarely goes all brown. Nor does it die out in the center, like other Miscanthus grasses. Its blooming spikes can get up to 7 feet in height, so plan accordingly. A much smaller grass (which does turn a nice shade of amber-brown) is Miscanthus sinensis 'Nippon' which has a reddish-bronze fall color, but does die out in the center so requires replanting every other year or so. Both of these grasses will have to be mail-ordered. I love seeing grasses planted with either natives or non-native adapted plants for our climate. Because I live in the Houston area, I treasure my one sloping bed because I can grow plants requiring better drainage than my gumbo soil provides elsewhere. Good Luck . . . . you can end up with lovely, interesting beds which beat ivy and most ground covers in looks every time.
Leslie