My front slope bakes all afternoon, and everything I’ve planted there either crisped up or washed downhill. Two summers of replacing dead plants has taught me that good intentions don’t survive that spot. I’m done wasting money on it.

I started over by filtering on sun, dry soil, and low water use in the plant finder on Gardenvoila, which gave me a shortlist of lavender, yarrow, and a few ornamental grasses. I’m planting small starts this fall so they can root in before summer.

I’d love to hear from anyone who’s tackled a similar slope. Did you use erosion fabric or just heavy mulch? And how long did it take before the plants stopped needing regular watering? I’m trying to avoid installing irrigation.