The invention discloses an ecological restoration method for a tailings bank. The method comprises the steps that the surface layer of the tailings bank is improved, improvements comprise heavy metal stabilization and nutrient supplementation, plants can be planted on the tailings bank, landscape forest seedlings, landscape shrub seedlings, landscape herb seedlings, landscape herb stems and energy plant seedlings which have heavy metal tolerance are selected and planted on the surface layer of tailings according to certain planting spaces, and a soilless reclamation vegetation restoration system is built; the landscape forest seedlings comprise cryptomeria fortunei seedlings, the landscape herb seedlings comprise arundo donax var versicolor seedlings, the landscape herb stems comprise purple-spotted white clover stems, and the energy plant seedlings comprise jatropha gossypifolia seedlings; selected plant arrangement is achieved according to different adaptabilities of the plants to the climatic environment, flowering phases and flowers colors of the selected plants are different, the landscape effect of the tailings bank can be achieved all year round, when the plants grow to a certain stage, the plants adapt to the tailings growth environment, and the ecological restoration effect can be maintained.