Thoughts on planting on driveway cut?

[FarmerJamie]

I will post pictures later to help the discussion.
The driveway is cut down through the bank in front of the house. It's stable, not eroding, but the brown dirt needs some greenery.

I started this thread to tap into the hive mind for ideas on sprucing it up. If I was a younger man with my earlier strength and ambition, I would probably use railroad ties and put a terrace thing in. Now, I am looking for plantings that are low maintenance so I don't have to do my mountain goat impression to weed whack the slopes.

The ground is clay. In the past, I've planted in clay making holes, filling with good soil, then planting. Was only moderately successful as I just made plant water cup holes. Doh.
Any suggestions?

If it's dirt therapy does it still count against my to do list?

 

[Mini Horses]

Purslane, clovers, ivy.....any type spreading, low green. Yeah, the clay is intimidating for us and plants.

 

[CrealCritter]

Ground covers for your zone. Phlox is nice, if it'll grow in your zone?

15 of the Best Flowering Ground Covers | Gardener’s Path

Ground cover plants offer a low-maintenance alternative to carpets of lawn. Learn about 15 of the best flowering ground covers now on Gardener’s Path.

gardenerspath.com

Jesus is Lord and Christ ✝️

 

[FarmerJamie]

Ground covers for your zone. Phlox is nice, if it'll grow in your zone?

15 of the Best Flowering Ground Covers | Gardener’s Path

Ground cover plants offer a low-maintenance alternative to carpets of lawn. Learn about 15 of the best flowering ground covers now on Gardener’s Path.

gardenerspath.com

Jesus is Lord and Christ ✝️

Thanks

Phlox is a routine standby, was hoping for some ideas that worked for folks here.

 

[FarmerJamie]

 

[Mini Horses]

I suppose you're too cold for St Augustine grass🫤

 

[flowerbug]

any of the creeping thymes. my favorite is a very low growing type which seems to do pretty well on clay slopes.

once you have a good start of it you can easily divide it into plugs and it will spread out. i cut mine into strips and move the entire strip as a mini terrace to hold back the slopes from eroding (and also to help soak in some of the water that the small ridge will hold back).

it grows low enough you can run a mower right over it. some of the taller varieties will survive mowing at a higher mower setting.

i do not mow the smaller kind i have growing here because most of it has very few weeds growing in it that i can remove them all by hand in a few minutes. the more complicated edges near the grassy areas it does take more work to weed them, but as i get those edges covered with thymes it still cuts down on how many weeds will sprout in there.

[i also meant to include the part about mowing can spread weed seeds into areas so that is another reason why i don't always want to mow something - at least first i make sure the mower is rinsed out underneath]

 

[flowerbug]

Ground covers for your zone. Phlox is nice, if it'll grow in your zone?

15 of the Best Flowering Ground Covers | Gardener’s Path

Ground cover plants offer a low-maintenance alternative to carpets of lawn. Learn about 15 of the best flowering ground covers now on Gardener’s Path.

gardenerspath.com

i've had tough times trying to get phlox to get going on clay slopes here (i think you need to use rather big slabs of it and i was using smaller cuttings trying to spread it around - that did not work well at all). i do like the pretty pink color of some varieties of the creeping phlox. we only have one spot of it left now where i originally planted it. the thyme keeps trying to take over plus i've had to remove poison ivy from trying to start in there... i'm still not sure i got it all but the phlox really did not like me mucking about in it...

 

[tortoise]

Mint or catnip. They're perennial, and will spread. Can tolerate clay soil if it drains well. Both have potential homestead and income uses, such as selling "tea bouquets" or dehydrated catnip for pets.

 

[FarmerJamie]

Mint or catnip. They're perennial, and will spread. Can tolerate clay soil if it drains well. Both have potential homestead and income uses, such as selling "tea bouquets" or dehydrated catnip for pets.

Yeah, the three beasties here would love the catnip. Doesn't mint spread a lot?