Bank stabilization with vegetation in Mississippi

[newbury]

All around my shops, house, driveway I've fairly steep slopes, generally from 20' to 50' in length.

All of them have become overgrown with what looks like 30 years of Mississippi mixed "let it grow, ignore it" growth. Now it's mostly a mix of Sweetgum (10" to 20" DBH), pine 6" to 20" DBH), some cedar (6 to 14" DBH) and I'm slowly working on clearing it out. But I'd like to plan on replanting with some low and slow growing dense shrub that would shade everything else out to prevent the pines etc. from coming back yet still "hold the ground" and stabilize the slopes.

I don't want grass to mow or more trees to cut.

Any suggestions?

 

[coldsteelva]

Clover

 

[GLyford]

Pines and cedars aren't likely to grow back from the stumps, at least. Are you planning on painting the gum stumps with roundup or triclopyr as you go?

 

[newbury]

Pines and cedars aren't likely to grow back from the stumps, at least. Are you planning on painting the gum stumps with roundup or triclopyr as you go?

Yes, and spot spraying anything that show that I don't like. There are also a lot of poison ivy vines.

 

[GLyford]

Finding things to outcompete poison ivy will be tough.

That reminds me, I have some spot spraying to do...

 

[Streetcar]

I don't know any plants that grow dense enough to crowd out trees, but is low growing. Mowing required at least once a year

 

[/pine]

kudzu ?

 

[newbury]

I don't know any plants that grow dense enough to crowd out trees, but is low growing. Mowing required at least once a year

I guess I should have modified "low growing" to 5 ft high or less.

Sort of like some Arborvitae.

 

[Deere Dude]

All around my shops, house, driveway I've fairly steep slopes, generally from 20' to 50' in length.

All of them have become overgrown with what looks like 30 years of Mississippi mixed "let it grow, ignore it" growth. Now it's mostly a mix of Sweetgum (10" to 20" DBH), pine 6" to 20" DBH), some cedar (6 to 14" DBH) and I'm slowly working on clearing it out. But I'd like to plan on replanting with some low and slow growing dense shrub that would shade everything else out to prevent the pines etc. from coming back yet still "hold the ground" and stabilize the slopes.

I don't want grass to mow or more trees to cut.

Any suggestions?

Don't know what DBH is but why remove them. They are keeping the banks stable and keep the corrosion down, if that is needed in that case.

 

[TCJatko]

Don't know what DBH is but why remove them. They are keeping the banks stable and keep the corrosion down, if that is needed in that case.

Diameter at breast height - Wikipedia How trees are typically measured. Typically this works out to about 4 feet above the ground.