Fast-Growing, Low Maintenance Shrubs for Sloping Yards or Gardens

Take charge of a vacant sloping garden or yard space with fast-growing shrubs that will ease erosion and bring beauty to the landscape. Shrubs work well on slopes. They are low-maintenance, requiring pruning once or twice a year. Choose drought-tolerant shrubs and you can forgo watering when the plant is about a year old. Use a small drip system until the shrubs are established. Native shrubs grow best because they thrive in the conditions that are present, without soil amendments or added water.

California Privet

Use the California privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium Hassk.) on a slope where you need quick growth. The shrub grows up to 10 feet tall and about 4 feet wide in part shade or full sun. This drought-tolerant plant will bloom with cream-colored flowers in late spring through summer, followed by black-purple fruit that appeals to birds. Privet will grow well in USDA Hardiness Zones 7 through 10.

Japanese Spirea

The Japanese spireas, particularly Spiraea japonica, is a good choice on a slope. The deciduous shrub grows up to 6 feet tall and as wide. The shrub brings ornamental beauty to the slope with its varied leaf color; it grows in colors that range from bright green to blue-green to copper, burgundy and bronze. The flowers bloom in a mix of purple and pink. The shrub prefers rich soil, full sun and moderate water during the growing season. It grows best in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 through 8; it needs winter temperatures and does not thrive in year-round, warm weather climates. As a word or caution, the Plant Conservation Alliance has named Japanese spirea as an aggressive invasive plant in a damp, temperate climate.

Verbena

The Verbena bonariensis grows up to 6 feet tall and about 3 feet wide, with airy stems. This makes it a good shrub choice for a foreground plant on a sunny slope. The purple flowers grow on long stems with gray-green leaves. This self-sower will spread quickly and is drought tolerant once established. It flourishes in USDA Cold Hardy Zones 4 through 9.

Oleander

The oleander (Nerium oleander) is an old favorite that’s enjoying a renaissance because of its ease of growth and choice of flower colors. The shrub is native to the Mediterranean and grows up to 20 feet tall and 12 feet wide, but can be pruned twice a year to a shorter, smaller shrub. Pruning is not necessary though, making it a good choice for a slope. The oleander blooms almost continuously from early spring through late fall with fragrant flowers in white, yellow, pink, apricot and red. The shrub is not fussy at all about soil and is extremely drought tolerant once established. It thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 7 through 11.

Other Choices for Slope Planting

In addition to shrubs, you can plant ground cover on a slope to help anchor plants. Ornamental grasses are also a good choice to control erosion on slopes.