Been helping some friends get their garden under control (slash & burn). The bottom of said garden slopes down to an 8 ft drop and then the river below, currently it’s covered in ivy and brambles.. have knocked that back to discover the old owners used to bag there grass cutting and dump it down here, so it’ll all a bit loose and dangerous (remember 8ft drop to shallow river).
What plants would be good to grow on this? It’s too steep/loose for (mowed) grass, should we try to train (contain) the ivy/brambles?
Any idea’s?

Should say, they do have access down past this to a flat area above the river, which they’d like to use, so ignoring the area isn’t an option

We’ve just covered a bank with prostrate cotoneasters (I think it was Cotoneaster dammeri). They are evergreen shrubs and only get about 20cm high, but they put down roots where the branches touch the floor so should form a barrier to weeds eventually (I hope).

You might need to nuke the area a few times to kill off the brambles first though…

Japanese Knotweed would be perfect 😉
It was widely used to stabilise railway embankments, etc . . .

Cotoneaster would work as above. I don’t like it as it’s hard to tame once it covers an area, and I don’t like the way it looks, but it’s great for covering an area up that’s out the way.

What about some shrubs? You can get a bunch of Laurel at 60cm pretty cheap; just cover the area with them. Rhododendrons also suit this type of location.

Rip all plants out. Install some “Alpine” switchbacks or a ladder drop to practice on. Win/Win situation 😉

Loving ^ but if that won’t suit then…

Cotoneaster – as above – but although it looks okay from a distance it is woody and can look ‘untidy’ close up. Small white flowers in summer and berries in Autumn so some interest

Vinca (periwinkle) – Low growing shrub that spreads in a similar way to the cotoneaster, but is much ‘softer’. Pretty pale blue flower (also available in white or purple).

Euonymus – low growing varieties. Don’t root as they go, but do provide nice cover. Lovely variegated leaves, so attractive all year around.

Ground cover roses – Will love the rich soil from the decomposing grass cuttings, They don’t need pruning like normal roses and can be left to cover the area – but prickly if you do need access.

Pachysandra – Good for ground cover but green and boring!!

Juniperus – low growing conifers (spreading) which will make a solid mat over the area

I assume that the grass cuttings are now decomposed and just making the soil loose? If still resembling grass cuttings then they will need digging in a bit before you start (will burn new plants)

From above I wouldn’t recommend Laurel or Rhodo you will just be creating a huge deep hedge which will require yearly cutting to keep to a reasonable height (I am assuming you are not looking for an 8′ barrier here?)

There are many other options… but all will need some form of weed control help while they get established – might be worth using a weed control fabric and planting through?

EDIT – Or stick with the Ivy, and add some pretty variegated ones into the mix..?

I’d put something down to offer some ‘green’ style erosion control (note I did not say ground stabilisation). Have a look at the Macaferri website. Then vegetate.

I’d put something down to offer some ‘green’ style erosion control (note I did not say ground stabilisation). Have a look at the Macaferri website. Then vegetate.

What are the neighbors doing with theirs?

Cheers for the replies, interesting idea’s.. some picture to give a bit more context (everyone loves a picture 😉 )
[url=https://flic.kr/p/wodEk7]Lou & Si’s river view[/url] by Paul, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/wqxgZV]Lou & Si’s river view[/url] by Paul, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/vtEyQH]Lou & Si’s river view[/url] by Paul, on Flickr
(yes we know the step are dodgy!)
So the neighbours? Well the bank goes down, as you go down the street, so one side, they’ve blanked off the bottom of the garden and let it run wild (see third picture), the other side is lower and has a completely flat paved area that runs from a lawn.. so not much help really.
Anyways, it the steep bank and the currently uncleared ivy/bambled bit that needs the ‘filling’ so “evergreen shrubs and only get about 20cm high” actually sounds like just the job. It should be noted that this is all under the foliage of those tree’s (no idea what they are.. I’m rubbish) which have protection orders on them, before anyone say chop em down!

Good evergreen coverage can include plants like bugle (ajuga reptans), pachysandra, vinca minor, european ginger (asarum europaeum), euonymus fortunei “coloratus”, and a good deciduous ground cover is sweet woodruff. Ferns will look good there too.

Make sure you’ve got rid of all the brambles before you start planting up, It might be worth leaving the ground for a bit, to see what pops back up.

I know nothing about gardening but I know that having loose earthy banks is really bad for whatever is living in the stream as rain washes the earth in, covering the gravels the fish and insects need. So I’d be looking at stuff to anchor the soil as best as possible. Maybe email conservation organisations like the wild trout trust for advice on good plants?

Or alternatively could they buy some decent sized rocks to terrace it at bit?