Question
we have a home built on top of a small slope.  The slope is approximate 10-12' high but we can walk down it. It goes around about half of the house - maybe 500 ft long around#?#. Problem - we planted blue rug junipers that we were told were hardy and would be the best solution for maintaining the slope.  Three years later and approx 1/3 have died.  We sent samples off to the University of NC and the county horticulturist.  Neither knew what was causing their death; they had soil samples too.  Some junipers at the top appear healthy but most on the lower end and middle are dying or died.  SO - we now have erosion problems as a result.  We don't intend to plant where the junipers died as obviously there could be soil problems that would kill anything we planted. What do we do?! We have horse fence at the base of the slope and building a retaining wall and backfilling is far too expensive. Any suggestions - please?

Answer
Does the slope level out at its base?  If so, the cause of the Juniper failure may be that they were left with the pooling of the run off water.  That would explain why those on the top of the slope survived while those lower did not.  In any event, it is clearly not the soil doing the damage if the UNC folks tested it - my guess is the plants washed out.

You may want to install some engineered retention to hold the grade.  This can be done simply and inexpensively with boulders in many cases.