Landscaping a high, sloping berm challenges even experienced gardeners. Not only do these sites are inclined to have their own microclimates — created by shaded northern or japanese exposures or sunny, sizzling southern or western exposures — slopes are physically tough to maintain and often experience erosion. Selecting appropriate landscaping vegetation for slopes decreases maintenance, reduces erosion and creates less physical pressure for the gardeners charged with caring for the landscape. Choose crops that thrive in your area’s U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone.

Zone 3

Temperatures in USDA zone 3 reach average annual lows of minus forty levels Fahrenheit. Slope-friendly plants for this zone include bugleweed (Ajuga reptans), a spreading, fast-growing ground cover. Ajuga’s shiny, evergreen foliage offers year-spherical texture and erosion control, while the plant’s blue-purple flowers add a splash of spring color. Shrubs, such because the snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), also assist stabilize slopes. This deciduous species grows to 6 ft tall, has darkish, blue-green foliage and blooms with pink blossoms in early summer. Another zone three-hardy shrub, sumac (Rhus aromatica), also grows to 6 feet tall but spreads almost twice as wide. This deciduous plant is prized for its brilliant pink, orange and purple fall foliage and long-lasting yellow blooms.
Zone 4

In USDA zone 4, common lows drop to minus 30 degrees. Hardy, slope-pleasant crops for this region include the Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata), a shrub that grows to 6 feet tall with comparable spread. This hardy evergreen is easy to grow; it thrives in sun or shade, tolerates drought and grows effectively in urban settings. A vine that also grows prostrate as a ground cover, the bush honeysuckle (Diervilla sessilifolia) grows effectively on slopes and tolerates dry, sunny sites. This deciduous plant has crimson-veined foliage and produces aromatic yellow blossoms. For more ground cover, plant useless nettle (Lamium maculatum). This slope-friendly evergreen spreads shortly and has variegated foliage. It grows well in shaded, cool sites, corresponding to northern or japanese slopes.
Zone 5

USDA zone 5’s average lows reach minus 20 degrees. The black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) thrives on this zone, as well as on sloped berms. This sluggish-growing, 5-foot-tall shrub has shiny foliage that turns dark red in fall. It blooms with clusters of white-pink spring flowers, adopted by dark fruit. For more spring color on a slope, plant violets (Viola spp.) These tiny vegetation, which grow as perennials or annuals, spread quickly and bloom with white, blue, purple and yellow blossoms.
Zone 6

Average annual lows in USDA zone 6 fall to minus 10 degrees. Slope-friendly crops for this area embrace the creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis). This low-growing evergreen reaches heights of 24 inches but spreads up to 10 ft wide, providing erosion and weed control. Creeping junipers come in a range of cultivars such as Blue Rug, which has thick, silver-blue foliage. Ornamental grasses have spreading, fibrous root systems that make them an applicable plant for sloping berms. Sheep fescue (Festuca ovina) grows in dense, blue-green clumps and tolerates shade and drought well. This 2-foot-tall, evergreen grass produces yellow inflorescences in summer.

Guest post by Edmonton Landscaping Company