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