Dermot Boyle asked 14 years ago
I have a dry embankment that is covered in wild grass. It is too steep to safely strim on a regular basis. I am thinking of covering it with weed fabric and then planting some ground cover plants to take the place over. Is Cotoneaster dammerii a good plant for this. Is this also more commonly called bearberry cotoneaster. How far apart should I plant them?
Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
A bank of this kind is unattractive because it is simply a bare slope. Covering it with cotoneaster is something of an improvement but a limited one.
Weed control fabric will work well unless debris lands on it and grass grows in the debris. The trick is to have the groundcover plants established before this happens.
Any bank is better planted with a few kinds of trees, shrubs and perennial flowers, the choice depending on where the bank is located. Use a few trees, more shrubs and some large perennial flowers to soften the appearance of the shrubs.
More on this at: https://gardenie.wpengine.com/gerrycategory/banks-and-terraces/?id=5462
