What to plant on a steep slope to stop weeding and mowing
Deciding whether to leave a steep hill natural or plant ground cover is complicated by erosion risks, deep mulch requirements, and the need to prevent mower damage near patios. Homeowners struggle to find low-maintenance options that cover large areas without requiring constant manual weeding or risking damage from lawn equipment.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Leaving the area as it is naturally
- 2Seed or sod all the way to the patio edge
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I just had this project completed and am trying to figure out what to plant in front of the patio/ how deep the mulch bed should be given the slope.”source ↗
“I want to limit the constant weeding in such a large area.”source ↗
“I am wondering if I should leave it as it is naturally or plant something else there.”source ↗
“The hill is pretty steep. Especially off the curved edge of the actual sitting area of the patio. And I don’t want my mowing service to chip the edge with the mower.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How to plant hedges on a rock wall or slope
- 6How to mow a sloped or uneven lawn without slipping
- 9How to stop heavy rain from eroding yard and fence
- 3How to prep a garden bed after removing weeds and gravel
- 4How to stop weeds in a rock garden
- 4How to fix yard erosion without a major landscaping overhaul