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Planting for erosion

keysnatcherkeysnatcher Posts: 17
in Problem solving
Our garden is on higher ground than the road next to it by about 2feet, and in places the bank just on the other side of our fence is eroding to the point where we only have a couple of inches of soil beyond the fence post before a near-vertical drop. As the problem isn’t on our land I’m guessing engineering solutions are limited, so I was wondering if there are any plants/trees that I could plant on our side of the fence that might help to stabilise the soil beyond. Ideally trees or tall shrubs to double
up as screening! Any suggestions welcome. 

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Cotoneaster is also good for that, but there are various types, so it would depend on the scale of the problem.
    A photo would help with more accurate advice too, if you can manage one @keysnatcher   :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    edited June 2022
    Grass holds the soil best, trees and shrubs can then get established in the grass and take over the job without having their roots exposed every time it rains
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    pampas aint that pretty , but V good to hold back banks
    Devon.
  • Bee witchedBee witched Posts: 1,295
    You could grow something like ajuga as ground cover to stabilise the soil while your shrubs are establishing. It covers ground quickly, but is easy to pull up if needed.
    It's not fussy and will grow anywhere, and needs no maintenance.

    Bee x
    Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders  

    A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
  • keysnatcherkeysnatcher Posts: 17
    Thanks for all the replies. I know I haven’t explained it very well but the bank itself isn’t actually on our land so I was hoping to avoid anything that needed to be planted directly into it. I was thinking more of something that I could plant on our side of the fence whose roots would spread underneath to hold it all together? The bank belongs to a local housing authority and they don’t maintain it so I could probably get away with something that would ‘creep’ under the fence too. 😆
  • MikeOxgreenMikeOxgreen Posts: 812
    Some Japanese knotweed will do the job very well  :D
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Don't be a jerk, it is illegal to plant JKW.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
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