New house and a sloping garden

We used periwinkle to cover a slope. We used the common blue one and just put in a few plants as it spread and self-rooted really quickly. Since then periwinkles have become available in different forms and I think I'd use the variegated one if doing it again.
We underplanted it with bulbs which gradually naturalised - a variety of narcissi and daffs for the Spring, crocosmia for the Summer and Autumn.
A quick fix for this year might be some trailing/climbing nasturtiums that will give you colour, cover and time to think a bit.

I’ve got a steep slope down one side of my garden, have clay soil, and can tell you what I’ve learned.

Build steps in to the slope at intervals along the bank, otherwise when it’s wet you are likely to slide down and break your ankle, because it’s very slippery (and you will be up there more than twice a year).

Don’t plant tall perennials, they are too needy, they all flop forwards and you need masses of stakes to hold them up.

Bulbs do well because they are strong enough to remain upright - I’d never plant crocosmia again though, it seems to spread down the slope very rapidly, and it’s hard work to dig out.
I also wouldn’t plant a holly again, mine is lovely but suckers come up from the roots, and the roots spread.
Things that have done well for me and are trouble free - spirea, berberis, broom, hydrangeas, dog roses, heathers, perennial geraniums, pulmonaria, cyclamen, achillea, doronicum, geum. For some colour, I also have nigella, aquilegia and snapdragons, with no mulch around them, and they both self seed.

I mulch my bank from the top as the mulch moves down on its own over a few weeks, and I also water at the top, from standing on the lawn below with the hose on sprinkle mode - if you’ve got a deep mulch you won’t need to water much.

Thank you both so much. Really helpful, practical advice which is just what I am after.

I'm going to have to think about steps. You're right Casdon, it is very slippery and only a matter of time before we come to grief.

Trailing nasturtiums is genius Lixy, and will save us from a lot of bare soil (and hopefully suppress the weeds) in the short term.

Most of our garden is banks
We too inherited brambles and ivy one of our banks is called the bank of doom cos it is so steep
If yo have lots of brambles when planting new stuff the brambles will still come up in between

Valerian self seeds and can be just strimmed to keep it tidy likewise Mexican fleabane
If it dries out go for draught tolerant plants and strum in between to keep weeds down
Hope you get there in the end

We moved here in 1973. We were young and agile back then and hadn't a clue about gardening.
Our plot is a third of an acre and a large portion is on a very steep Hillside. The soil is thick clay.
After some years of bumbling through planting trees in the wrong place and choosing the wrong plants we decided to let mother nature do her own thing on the steepest part of the garden.
We have lots of self seeded trees at the bottom plus a couple of maple trees we planted 45 years ago.
On the gentler slopes we planted a couple of small apple trees at the top and treated the bank as a meadow which we strim a couple of times a year.
The top of the steepest bank is planted with a variety of shrubs. Hydrangea, camellia, azalea, rhododendron philadelphus, lilac and wisteria which we have trained over supports.
Over the past 10 years or so we have tried to make the garden as low maintenance as possible.
Still have a problem with ivy and brambles and now employ a gardener a couple of hours a fortnight to keep on top of it.

I use flattened out cardboard as a weed suppressant and cover it with wood chippings as a mulch. My gardener lays a barrier of bricks at the edge to help prevent the mulch washing away and once it's wet, it tends to stay put.
I rarely have to use weedkiller but do from time to time if needed.

Depending on the size of the sloping plot I would consider terracing it slightly to provide a 'path' so you could stand on level ground to attend to the maintenance

Hello, I agree with Astitchintime - terracing in some form, with a path for easier access. We moved into a new build with a steeply sloping garden, and paid to have some simple terracing done. Shallow steps were made with sleepers and gravel.
Really pleased with it as it suddenly made planting and maintenance so much easier.
Good luck!

You could try ground cover roses as roses love clay. Underplanting with bulbs as suggested is an excellent idea or/and a hardy geranium like Rozanne.

As our house was a new build we got the builder to put in the steps and raise the garden to all one level. As I have some disability they di it FOC- they have helped many others on this estate in this was - slopes to front doors etc. Bellway have been great with after sales too in respect of any faults appearing of which there are only one or two. The front door stuck so they are replacing it rather than fiddling with it.

My late inlaws lived in Devon overlooking Meadfoot beach, Torquay.

Their house was high up and the garden sloped right down to a road at the bottom and included woodland. Up near the house they had flat seating areas and lawned areas, paved areas and shingle areas. There were hundreds of steps right down to the gate at the bottom. We used to see neighbours cutting their sloping grassed areas with flymos on ropes! Not sure how effective it was but it made us laugh. 🤣

Years ago we watched new houses being built across the valley and wondered what they would do with the downward sloping gardens (downward sloping). One new householder had the whole lot, apart from a flat area near the house, covered in a membrane then shrubs of various kinds planted through the membrane.
It looked a bit sparse at first but has matured well.

Hardy rambling rose plants with long stems that want to trail down the bank. These leaf early and retain their leaves well, and will cover the ground . I believe real ramblers come only in pale pink and dark pink. However you will need to dig up perennial weeds if you don't want them, and dig out the brambles.

On the other hand, you can allow to grow those hardy 'weeds' and brambles that will bring you , besides flowers, birds, bees and butterflies.

There's so much good advice here, thank you all very much.

Half of the slope is in full sun and the other half is shaded by a tree so the varied answers are incredibly useful. I'm particularly struck with the roses suggestions and hydrangeas in the shadier areas. We've decided today that we will put in some steps and then work out from them with some terracing. Will stand us in good stead as we get older I hope.

It may be a good idea to make, instead of terraces, ramped paths that slope across the bank , so you can actually walk up and down without steps that may be a prob when you are older.

Great plant suggestions from other gransnetters .
I'd perhaps include some yellow flag iris if you have a puddle and insata iris in very damp soil .

There's one slight slope in my father's garden and as the neighbour refuses to tidy his garden ( for a staggering 35 years ) I have to cut back the many brambles that go over his broken fence and the horsetail , which goes under .
I've had several near slips and I wonder if I'm not going to really injure myself one day .
It's perilously slippery due to the rain and I'm going to attach a rope to one of the concrete set fence posts so that I can steady myself whilst weeding .

Do think about falling over that part of your garden -it's so easy to break a bone .

If you can manage -have it terraced or failing that put some zig zag paths down with railings .
Lots of luck .

We put two sets of wide, shallow steps as we had toddlers and elderly family. Worked well but I can’t remember what we had for ground cover.

we had a slope at the back. we terraced it - to walk on to get to the plants. not to sit. you will slip if you don't.

Hi - I drive past these 'some ideas' www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.8510257,0.5348914,3a,75y,18.08h,89.78t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJdTT3sZ1CurKK105vQ797A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

And this is a Google image search 'very steep gardens' www.google.com/search?q=very+steep+gardens&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj8rP7g7JaFAxVpdqQEHaprB7kQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=very+steep+gardens&gs_lp=EgNpbWciEnZlcnkgc3RlZXAgZ2FyZGVuczIGEAAYBRgeSOImUL8KWIMicAB4AJABAJgBdKAB9QWqAQQxMC4xuAEDyAEA-AEBigILZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfCAgYQABgHGB7CAggQABgFGAcYHsICCBAAGAgYBxgeiAYB&sclient=img&ei=8VMFZrzwHenskdUPqtedyAs&bih=919&biw=1920&prmd=ivmnbtz&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB880GB880

My grandparents used to have a garden like that and they had the curly path that’s what we called it but now I understand why it went up to the top like a snake but it helped them keep doing the garden of wildflowers which didn’t need any help but helped the wildlife and they had a bench at the top to sit and watch the birds and bees etc but they garden was huge. Why not get a gardener and ask them for help

Far more worrying in my opinion that what to plant there, is ensuring that you don't get flood water coming into the house as it sounds to me as if it is at the bottom of the slope.

If this is the case, with all the rain we are having now, you either need a good system of drains at the bottom of the slope, or at least a deep ditch to carry off surplus water.

Your ideas are all so inspiring and thought provoking. I was lying awake worrying about this at night and feel so much better now I have some good ideas and advice to work from. Thank you all so much.

Sandelf - the links are fantastic. Thank you for going to so much trouble to help.

grandtanteJE65 - the drainage issue is at least one thing we don't have to worry about. The house is Victorian and a previous owner has installed a ditch and drainage.

Why not leave it as it with ivy and bramble and lots of butterflies. Why steps and terraces you will fall from as you are getting older?

Churchview - not at all - good luck in your new home.