What to do with steep banks

Using native plants on a bank

Recently we completed a garden with a steep bank behind it, part of which was crumbling. We excavated back the overhanging part of the bank and used rock anchors and mesh to hold the newly  cut back bank. You can use sprayed concrete over the mesh, but in this case the mesh was adequate.

To hold the bank at the base and provide a suitable garden we built up extended the raised garden and backfilled with garden mix. We then fixed ponga logs to the bank with pins and wires. The cut pongas are already sprouting in places at the top. The plants we used are mostly native climbers and low plants as below:

Climbers:

Metrosideros carminea, carmine rata

Tecomanthe speciosa, Three Kings climber

Pandorea pandorana, wongawonga ( not native)

Low plants:

Coprosma kirkii

Asplenium bulbiferum ( fern)

Parahebe lyallii

And the completed job!