I know that crown vetch is considered an invasive species in some areas. Yet, I've had a hard time getting it established. It certainly hasn't become invasive.

I have crown vetch growing on the steep sides of certain parts of my half-mile driveway. Where it grows, I really like it. Yet, I've had very little luck transplanting it.

I have a few very small areas on the back side of the dam of my older pond with some crown vetch. I moved it from the driveway several years ago with a front-end loader, with about 3-4 inches of roots/dirt under the plants. I also have another small patch on that same dam that I moved a year later with a backhoe -- taking at least 12 inch deep roots with it. Neither is spreading very fast.

When we built our new pond last spring, I paid big bucks for coated crown vetch seed (something like $70 for a quarter or half-pound). Almost none germinated.

If you can get it to grow, it does a great job of erosion control. At the edges of my driveway, grading and mowing seems to keep it well under control.

This coming year I'm going to try alternating transplants of periwinkle (vinca) and pachysandra to the backs of my dams. Hopefully, one will take over. They too make great erosion control green plantings.

Poison ivy is what unfortunately seems to grows the best. Oh well, maybe it will keep trespassers out of the ponds.

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