List of Plants for a Slope, Part 1

      Here are the plants I like to use when designing a slope.  Some of these plants work best in combination with other similar plants (like California Natives). Part 2 of the list comes on Sunday.  

Botanical Name                     Common Name         Type of Slope ^

Agave americana                   Century Plant                        Both

Aloe striata                             Coral Aloe                               Bunny

Arbutus unedo                       Strawberry Tree                   Bunny

*Arctostaphylos sp.               Emerald Manzanita              Both

      ‘Emerald Carpet’ 

*Baccharis pilularis                Pigeon Point Coyote Bush    Both

      ‘Pigeon Point’

Bougainvillea sp.                    Bougainvillea                          Bunny

Calindrinia grandiflora          Rock Purslane                        Bunny

*Ceanothus sp.                       California creeper                  Both

   ‘Yankee Point’

*Cercis occidentalis               Western Redbud                    Bunny

Cistus x purpureus                Orchid Rockrose                    Bunny

*Cotoneaster dammeri         Coral Cotoneaster                  Both

     ‘Coral Beauty’ 

Dodonaea viscosa                   Hopseed Bush                        Both

*Epilobium canum                 California Fuschia                  Bunny

Eremophila maculate             Emu Bush                               Bunny

*Erigeron karvinskianus       Santa Barbara Daisy             Bunny

Gazania hybrida                     Gazania                                   Bunny

Grevillea lanigera                   Wooly Grevillea                     Bunny

Juniperus chinensis                Gold Chinese Juniper           Bunny

     ‘Old Gold’  

Lagerstroemia sp.                   Crape Myrtle                         Bunny

    ‘Muskogee’   

Lantana hybrida                      New Gold Lantana               Bunny

     ‘New Gold’  

*California Native

If you are not sure which plant combinations work best, then send me an email (my address is listed at the top of the page).

^Bunny slopes are those easy slopes that you skied on when you were a kid.  Bunny slopes are 5 to 20 degree slopes that you can walk up and down without having to hold onto anything. Both refers to Bunny or Cowabunga slopes.  Cowabunga slopes are those steeper inclines that teenagers go snowboarding down yelling “COWABUNGA!!!!!” as they rip and shred everything in their path.  Cowabunga slopes are in the 25-60 degree range and require some type of aid (railing, fence, etc.) for you to hold onto in order to go up and down the hill. This weekend’s article will focus on how to properly plant the slope.