Flagstaff Question

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teddnesse Nov 09, 2019

Greetings all. Forgive me from the get-go for my green thumb is quite new and yet developing.

So my question about Flagstaff is that of ground cover and erosion control. I would like to do some planting but not sure where to start.

We have a rather tall manmade hill at the back of our property. It was material from a road expansion many years ago I'm told. So it's disturbed soil. My question is what types of plants would be good choices for erosion control and some colorful cover? The hill is rather tall, say 30 feet Max. It is south facing. Irrigation may be difficult but water is available in nearby.

Thank you for any help.

Bonus Question! We also have a new neighbor another direction who we love dearly but we could use some fast-growing privacy trees or bushes. Recommendations?

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ViburnumValley Scott County, KY(Zone 5b) Nov 20, 2019

Interesting that there have been no responses to your questions...

I will ask you a few. You haven't given much information for anyone to go on, including a definitive statement on where you garden. You mention Flagstaff. Do you live/garden in Flagstaff, AZ?

You could also provide photos/images of the sites you describe, so that users here have more of an idea of the situation that you are trying to vegetate. Worth a thousand words, each one is.

I do not claim to know AZ plants very well, nor exactly what growing conditions are like there. However, I believe that it gets hot and dry there on occasion. It can also get decently cold in the winter, as it is higher elevation.

I think vegetation for your manmade south-facing hill needs to be drought and heat tolerant, and tolerant of "poorer" (meaning disturbed) soils. The plants that are members of Fabaceae (Legumes) are often good choices, at least for starters. Many of these species are pioneer species on poorer quality or disturbed sites, since they can capture nitrogen from the air through gaseous exchange (someone who is more biologically oriented might be able to write that better). Many grass (Graminaceae) species will probably work too.

So! Get thee to an AZ plant list, and see what all your choices are. You will want to be able to water any new plants in order to get them started well, but for longer term prospects choosing drought tolerant native species will always be a prudent path. Your local fauna will thank you excessively.

Must provide some imagery evidence of my bona fides...pictures from along US 180 - the San Francisco Peaks Scenic Road - in October 2012.


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