How to Plant at the Bottom of a Slope

Watch the slope for a day when it is sunny to get a feel for whether the slope is in full sun, full shade or partial shade. A full sun area will need to receive over six hours of direct sunlight each day. How well lighted the slope is will limit the varieties of plants which will thrive on the slope.

Consider the ease of access of your slope when it comes to maintenance and mowing. If the slope is dangerous to mow, decorative grasses, short ground cover or shrubs are preferable to tall grass or high-maintenance bushes -- and they won't require annual maintenance. Junipers can fill space without much difficulty while buffalo grass only grows to about 8 inches tall and requires no mowing.

Keep in mind the amount of erosion that may be occurring. If erosion is a concern, select fast growing plants known for dense rooting that will hold the soil on the hillside. Examples include bearberry, coyote bush or carmel creeper.

Select plants that are able to absorb large quantities of water, as the bottom of the slope is often the runoff for the bulk of the rainwater. Plants such as willow trees, dogwoods and lilacs can all thrive in overly wet conditions.

Plan to add color to the slope through mixing in flowering perennials or variegated leaf plants such as creeping phlox, day lilies or hostas. Scatter these plants throughout the slope and mix them with the more functional plants mentioned in the other steps to increase the variety of texture on the slope.

Plant the varieties of plants you have chosen along the bottom of the slope working in staggered rows with taller plants toward the top and shorter plants in front of them. Follow the spacing needs of the plant varieties you have to avoid overcrowding.