Ideas on what to plant on a sloped area next to dock
#1
03-22-16, 08:46 PM
Ideas on what to plant on a sloped area next to dock
Location is Miami, Florida - zone 10B.
The area is below a retaining wall, a slightly sloped area about 7' wide, 60' long, right next to a dock, then the lake.
It was completely overgrown with all kinds of weeds and whatever, and I just spent a few days clearing everything up.
It is not suitable for grass due to the slope and the difficulty to move a lawn mower down the retaining wall stairs.
I would like to grow something that would require little maintenance.
Any ideas?
The area is below a retaining wall, a slightly sloped area about 7' wide, 60' long, right next to a dock, then the lake.
It was completely overgrown with all kinds of weeds and whatever, and I just spent a few days clearing everything up.
It is not suitable for grass due to the slope and the difficulty to move a lawn mower down the retaining wall stairs.
I would like to grow something that would require little maintenance.
Any ideas?
#2
03-23-16, 06:00 AM
Group Moderator
Did you kill the weeds before removing them? If not many can regrow from the roots. If the roots are still there I would wait for the weeds to regrow and then kill everything with herbicide like RoundUp (or any other glyphosate based herbicide). If you plant while all the weed roots are still viable you're just asking for a weedy mess regardless of what you plant as ground cover.
Where are you located or in what USDA growing zone do you live?
Vinca minor will probably handle the northern third of Florida while vinca major could probably do all the way down to lake O. They flower in the spring (there also called periwinkle) and have a nice dark green leaf and can handle full sun and a decent amount of shade.
Where are you located or in what USDA growing zone do you live?
Vinca minor will probably handle the northern third of Florida while vinca major could probably do all the way down to lake O. They flower in the spring (there also called periwinkle) and have a nice dark green leaf and can handle full sun and a decent amount of shade.
#3
03-23-16, 01:12 PM
Group Moderator
Tall fescue grass stops growing at a few inches in height even when not mowed so it can be a good grass choice for areas which are tough or impossible to mow.
#4
03-23-16, 06:24 PM
Where are you located or in what USDA growing zone do you live?
#5
03-24-16, 08:36 AM
Group Moderator
I don't know if there is a special variety of tall fescue that stops growing at a few inches. Every type I've seen tops out several feet tall if it's not mowed. If it's regularly mowed it can be trained to seed at a few inches but it doesn't do it naturally.
My vinca idea is out as you are in a tropic climate. In Costa Rica I use pansies and bromeliads as ground cover but you might need to make sure they get enough water. Liriope is another good one. It a ornamental grass that flowers purple, grows quite dense and can handle varying amounts of water.
My vinca idea is out as you are in a tropic climate. In Costa Rica I use pansies and bromeliads as ground cover but you might need to make sure they get enough water. Liriope is another good one. It a ornamental grass that flowers purple, grows quite dense and can handle varying amounts of water.
#6
03-24-16, 09:04 AM
Group Moderator
I don't know if there is a special variety of tall fescue that stops growing at a few inches. Every type I've seen tops out several feet tall if it's not mowed
