Need landscape design help with very difficult property

I really need help! We have just finished building our mountain home and I am overwhelmed with the prospect of landscaping it. We have a sheer cliff wall in the back and not much better in the front. I have found a design for steps to access the front door but I am at a loss as to what to do with that bank out front. There is no way this could be mowed so I need some thing that covers the bank. I really don't want the whole thing covered in groundcover...would prefer a mulched garden look with low growing evergreens or something. But the bank is so enormous that I can't envision that either. In this picture, you are only seeing the top of the bank...it actually runs 40 feet from the flat spot on top until it gets level again. Please give me your suggestions...pics would be great. We are on the north side of the mountain in central PA.

Thansk!
Michelle

I can't help you too much on plant suggestions since I'm in a very different zone, but I have a similarly hilly yard so if you want some general design ideas take a look at my gardening blog http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/m/ecrane3/ In the front yard I left the hills alone and landscaped them, but in the back I had the hill terraced to give me flatter areas to garden on.

A pond so when you look out the windows you can see it. You have a beautiful new home by the way. Congratulations and good luck.

My suggestion would go right along with ecrane--terrace it. It would open up so many options you don't currently have. I can tell you from my own personal experience, we have two steep banks at our home which we finished building four years ago. I've landscaped the entire 5-acre flat area but have not quite figured out what I'm going to do with the steep slopes. The best option I've come up with so far is to put side oats gramma grass (has very long tap roots so can handle the VERY dry and hot conditions it will have to live with) interspersed with blackeyed Susans, coneflowers and any other flowers that can deal with the less-than-desirable conditions on these slopes. Your house is beautiful.

This may help. You can click on the episode to play the video. Looks exactly like your situation. Gorgeous house, by the way!

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_design_other/article/0,1785,HGTV_3566_1399034,00.html

Terracing with precast concrete stones that interlock would be attractive and functional. Also, planting ground hugging blue rug junipers would add a nice blue color and help secure the earth from mudslide/landslide. After terracing, cover with landscape weed barrier cloth. Cut x's where you want to plant the shurbs and dig them in. Mulch with rubber mulch which lasts for 12 years. The dark brown color looks very natural and you can use a leaf blower to get rid of leaves in the fall without blowing the mulch away. It will be pricey the first year, but you don't have to replace it again and it will actually save you money over the long haul. We have had the rubber mulch down in our terraced rear yard for four years now, works great. If you have a Costco membership, they have a huge package of landscape fabric for the best price around, and they also sell the rubber mulch for the best price per bag. Nice house.