"Vox Humana" wrote in message .. .
"Bob" wrote in message
...
I have zero experience with gardens or plants but I'm going to close on a
house soon which has a rather steep embankment not very far from one part
of
the house. I want to make sure that the embankment doesn't erode, and I've
read that the common orange daylily is ideal for this task because of its
root structure, toughness and ability to propogate.

The only problem is: I can't find any common orange daylilies. I just went
to a pretty large garden store and they had a bunch of hybrid daylilies,
but
no common oranges.
Can anyone tell me specifically where I can find these daylilies? I live
in
Mississippi but would be willing to order online.

First, daylilies will not spread as fast as some other groundcovers,
so you will need several pounds to get started.
In parts of the country daylilies are such an invasive weed that all
it would take for you is to dig up a 100 sq ft clump and you would be
all set. Do you have any friends in, say, upstate NY? I myself know
the location of several
feral clumps of that size within walking distance of my home in Ann
Arbor, MI.


Also, the slope in question has some medium-sized oak trees on it (which
may
mean I'm being overly worried about erosion- the trees may help prevent it
alone- is that correct?) so it will be a semi-shaded condition- will the
common orange daylily thrive in this condition? I read somewhere that it
will- it just won't flower as nicely and all I really care about is
erosion
control.

Yes, they are commonly found in woodlands. You are correct that the
trees alone
may not prevent erosion.


But first I need to find these plants- any suggestion for finding them?
Thanks in advance.


There are other things that people use for erosion which will do just
as well.
Vinca or houttunya, for example. But given that you are in
Mississippi, if I were you, I would plant a bamboo stand on the slope.
That will take care of erosion once and for all. The native bamboo,
canebrake, does well in partial shade, but if you had a choice, you
should go for something bigger and more edible. Again, you would be
better off getting cuttings from a nearby stand, because a single
bamboo plant may retail for $20. If you see a nice bamboo stand
somewhere around town, go ring at the bell and ask for a few cuttings.
It has always worked for me.