Plants hold a slope in a way loose rock cannot, because roots bind the soil instead of only covering it. The entries here are rated for slope planting, which means they tolerate the fast drainage and thin soil you get on a grade and they spread wide enough to knit together. Most are drought tolerant, since a hillside sheds water rather than holding it.
On a steep or actively eroding grade, planting alone is rarely the whole answer. We supply the hard side of the same job, and our guides on rock for drainage and erosion control and landscape rock drainage solutions cover where rip rap, filter fabric and a planted slope each belong. Check mature width on the product page and space for the finished size, not the size in the can.
Dónde suelen ir las plantas de esta página y qué ver después.
Below a retaining wall
Planting at the base of a retaining wall helps catch soil washing down from above, cutting the sediment that collects against the wall after a heavy rain.
Pockets of soil between boulders on a rocky slope give roots somewhere to anchor while the boulders themselves hold the steepest, least plantable ground in place.
Cómo elegir, qué revisar antes de ordenar y cómo se entregan los pedidos de plantas.
Every plant on this page is rated for slope planting, chosen because a spreading root system anchors loose or fast draining soil better than surface cover alone. The list mixes drought tolerant succulents, agave and aloe with California shrubs such as manzanita (Arctostaphylos), California lilac (Ceanothus) and rockrose (Cistus), picked for wide spread and tolerance of thin, quick draining ground. Most need low water once established, since a slope sheds rain rather than holding it. Mature width, sun and water need are listed on each product page.
Plants for slopes versus rock alone
Rock and rip rap hold a slope in place from the day they are installed, while plants for slopes take a season or more to grow the roots that bind soil the same way. On a grade that is still actively moving, the two usually work together rather than one replacing the other, with river rock or rip rap covering the areas still shifting while new roots take hold nearby. Our guide to USDA zones can help confirm which of these plants for hillside use are rated for your winter lows before you plant.
Succulents and CA shrubs for erosion control
Agave and aloe hold ground with a shallow but wide root mat and a rosette shape that sheds water away from its own base, which is part of why they dominate this list. California shrubs such as manzanita, California lilac and rockrose add a deeper root system and enough height to slow water moving downhill, and several are drought tolerant once past their first year or two in the ground. Mixing low growing succulents between taller shrubs covers more of the slope surface with fewer plants and fewer gaps for water to cut through.
Spacing and establishment on a slope
Check mature width on the product page and space accordingly, not by the size in the can
Water new plantings more often for the first season while roots reach into the slope
Plant in a staggered pattern across the grade rather than straight rows running up and down
Add a coarse mulch or gravel between plants while they fill in to slow surface runoff
A newly planted slope still moves some soil until roots take hold, so treat the first year as an establishment period rather than a finished job.
Plants control erosion by growing roots that bind soil particles together and hold them against water and gravity, while their leaves and stems slow water moving across the surface. Rock alone covers a slope but does not stop soil movement underneath it, which is why a planted slope paired with rock or rip rap in the fastest moving areas usually holds up better than either alone. Roots take a season or more to reach full strength, so a new slope still needs help from mulch or rock at first.
The best plants for slopes combine low, spreading growth with roots suited to fast draining, thin soil, which on this page means drought tolerant agave and aloe alongside California shrubs such as manzanita, California lilac and rockrose. All of them are rated for slope planting and most need only low water once established, which matters because a hillside sheds rain rather than holding it. Mature width matters more than it does on flat ground, since gaps between plants on a slope are where water starts to cut a channel.
Succulents such as agave and aloe help by covering ground and holding soil near the surface with a wide but shallow root system, though on a steep or actively eroding slope they usually work best paired with deeper rooted shrubs or with rock in the areas still moving. A rosette that spreads several feet across shades out weeds and slows surface water, but it will not anchor loose soil the way a manzanita or ceanothus root system does over time. Mixing both types covers more failure points than either alone.
Space erosion control plants at roughly the mature width listed on the product page, and lean toward the closer end of that range on a steep or actively eroding grade rather than the wider spacing you might use on flat ground. Staggering plants in a diamond pattern across the slope, rather than straight rows running up and down, forces water to work around a plant instead of running straight past it. Tighter spacing costs more up front but closes bare gaps, where most slope erosion starts, in fewer seasons.
Yes, newly planted erosion control plants need more frequent watering for their first season while roots grow deep enough to reach moisture on their own, even though most of this group is rated low water once mature. A slope drains faster than flat ground, so water runs off before it soaks in unless it is applied slowly or in shorter, more frequent sessions. After the first year, most of the succulents and California shrubs on this page can be cut back to their normal low water schedule.
Most hillsides benefit from both rather than choosing one over the other: rock or rip rap holds ground immediately in the areas moving the most, while plants take over as roots establish and add a longer term fix rock alone cannot provide. A slope that is actively sliding or washing out needs the rock or rip rap first to stop the immediate movement, with plants added into the stabilized areas around it once movement has stopped.
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Envíe la lista de plantas, los tamaños y su código postal y confirmamos la entrega y el precio antes de que ordene.
Choosing plants for hillside erosion control by slope type
Plants for hillside erosion control are not interchangeable across every grade: a steep, rocky cut with little topsoil suits agave and yucca, which anchor in shallow pockets with a compact root ball, better than a shrub that needs more depth to establish. A gentler slope with several inches of soil gives California natives such as manzanita and California lilac room to send roots downward rather than only sideways, which holds more soil over the long run once they mature. Matching a plant's root habit to how much soil the slope actually has, rather than picking by appearance alone, is what determines whether a planting holds or slides in a heavy rain.
Deep rooted plants for erosion control on steep ground
Deep rooted plants for erosion control on this page, mainly the California shrubs such as manzanita, California lilac and rockrose, take longer to reach full anchoring strength than the shallow rooted succulents planted alongside them; expect two to three growing seasons before a young shrub's root system spreads and deepens enough to hold ground on its own. Agave and aloe reach a useful root spread faster, often within a single season, but that root system stays closer to the surface. Planting both together gives a slope fast, shallow coverage early and a stronger, deeper anchor later once the shrubs mature.
Erosion control ground cover for the gaps between
A smaller group of plants on this page is rated specifically for ground cover rather than as a specimen or a taller shrub, and these spread low and wide across the soil surface rather than growing upward. On a slope, ground cover works best in the gaps between taller anchor plants, covering open soil that would otherwise wash out while the bigger plants are still establishing their roots. See our ground cover succulents collection for plants built specifically to spread rather than clump. A slope covered edge to edge, rather than one with wide bare gaps, sheds far less soil in a heavy storm.
Entrega y Recogida
Erosion Control Plants con Entrega en California y el Suroeste
Pida erosion control plants para recogida en nuestros depósitos del Valle Central o Antelope Valley, o entrega a granel en toda California — además de Nevada, Arizona y Colorado. Díganos su código postal y proyecto y le cotizaremos un precio con entrega.
