Grading can def work, but I think you're being a little optimistic about relying on grass seed alone. I tried that route first, and after one nasty storm, half my seed ended up two houses down—my neighbor had the nicest patch of surprise lawn ever. Ended up putting in some erosion control blankets to keep things in place until the roots took hold. Worth the extra step if your slope is even slightly questionable...unless you enjoy gifting your neighbors free landscaping upgrades.
You're spot-on about erosion blankets being worth the extra step. I learned that lesson the hard way too—though not quite as dramatically as gifting my neighbors a surprise lawn upgrade, lol. Grass seed alone can be tempting because it's quick and budget-friendly, but slopes and storms rarely cooperate with good intentions. Better safe than sorry, especially if you've already put in the effort grading everything nicely. Good call sharing your experience; might save someone else from a headache down the road.
Erosion blankets definitely save headaches, but I'm curious—did you consider any native ground covers or shrubs for slope stabilization? I've seen some impressive results with creeping juniper and vinca... adds visual interest too.
Erosion blankets are definitely a solid choice, especially if you're dealing with immediate runoff issues. Did you happen to look into creeping thyme or sedum varieties at all? I've had some decent luck with those on slopes—thyme especially seems to root quickly and hold soil surprisingly well. Plus, it smells great when you walk over it.
I agree creeping juniper is fantastic for longer-term stabilization, but vinca can sometimes get a bit aggressive depending on your climate. Have you noticed any issues with it spreading too much? I tried vinca once near a retaining wall, and it ended up climbing everywhere... looked nice at first, but became a bit of a maintenance headache later on.
Either way, mixing erosion blankets with native ground covers or shrubs seems like the best of both worlds—quick stabilization plus long-term visual appeal. Curious if anyone's tried combining these methods and how that turned out.
"thyme especially seems to root quickly and hold soil surprisingly well. Plus, it smells great when you walk over it."
We actually planted creeping thyme on the slope behind our historic house a few years ago, and it's been fantastic. Not only did it stabilize the soil quickly, but the bees and butterflies love it. We also tried vinca once—beautiful at first, but yeah, it got a bit out of control after a while. Definitely learned that lesson the hard way...
