Along my sloping driveway I have what amounts to a streambed when it rains heavily. Have put down green erosion matting and rocks to slow the flow of water. Would like to plant some ornamental grasses through the matting that will help hold the soil when there's a heavy rain. My irrigation system reaches this area when it 's dry,.
Grass for erosion control
You don't mention sun exposure, so I'll assume you have part-to-full sun.
You want sod-forming grasses, which will be the most effective at erosion control. There are a few attractive sod-forming ornamental grasses. Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum) is probably the most well known. There are several popular cultivars which offer different colors and habits. Look at 'Shenandoah' which is red, and 'Dallas Blues' which is blue. Others are 'Heavy Metal' and 'Squaw.'
There are sod-forming sedges which will also work; Carex glauca 'Burton't Blue' is attractive, as is Carex muskingumensis.
Other sod-formers include Bouteloua curtipendula (Side Oats Grama), Carex siderostica 'Variegata' ( Variegated Broad Leaf Sedge) and Sorghastrum nutans (Indian Grass), which has very nice cultivars like 'Indian Steel' and 'Sioux Blue.'
You can find pictures of all these, as well as growing info at Bluestem, linked below.
http://www.bluestem.ca/
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