These plants hold the soil of banks and slopes in place with their spreading roots and foliage. They absorb water and prevent runoff that could otherwise wash away the soil.
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
| Aaron’s-beard | Hypericum calycinum |
| Carmel creeper | Ceanothus griseus var. horizontalis |
| Cotoneaster, low growing | Cotoneaster |
| Creeping manzanita | Arctostaphylos uva-ursi |
| Crown vetch | Coronilla varia |
| Daylily | Hemerocallis |
| Dwarf coyotebrush | Baccharis pilularis ‘Twin Peaks’ |
| Dwarf rosemary | Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’ |
| Five-leaf akebia | Akebia quinata |
| Honeysuckle | Lonicera |
| Ivy | Hedera |
| Japanese knotweed | Polygonum cuspidatum var. compactum |
| Juniper, low growing | Juniperus |
| Periwinkle | Vinca |
| Ribbongrass | Phalaris arundinacea var. picta |
| Rockrose | Cistus |
| Rose, low growing | Rosa |
| Santa Cruz pyracantha | Pyracantha koidzumii ‘Santa Cruz’ |
| Trailing lantana | Lantana montevidensis |
| Virginia creeper | Parthenocissus quinquefolia |