Hi folks,
I'm in W. Mass, zone 5 on a country road on a hill so we've got a slightly cooler micro-climate.
I have a couple of fairly large southwest- and west- facing rocky slopes that are currently covered with wood chip mulch. The slope is next to a red sandstone rock face that was blasted last year so that our new house could be set on the site. The slopes fade upward into scrubby oak and pine forest with a few white birches.
I'd really like to put in something over all that naked mulch. My first experiment--with wintercreeper--has been a disaster because deer came out of the woods and ate them. I'm told that eventually some of the woods will creep down the hill, but for now what I'm seeing sprouting is briars and tiny tree seedlings.
I'm considering shrubs, bushes, and just about anything else. Since each is a large area--40 ft by 20 ft, expense is a concern.
What can I put on these slopes that 1) gets big pretty fast 2) will survive on rocky soil, 3) won't get eaten by deer, 4) looks like it might naturally grow in New England.
I've been wondering if it would be worth trying to grow a lot of shrubs from cuttings using rooting hormone or if this is something that is harder than it sounds when you read about it in a book.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
--Jenny