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Native grasses for slope erosion control

Native grasses for slope erosion control

Slopes fail when soil moves faster than roots can hold it. The best grasses (and grass-like plants) for erosion control combine dense root systems with clumping growth, which provides erosion control above and below ground. Whether you’re trying to control erosion on a slope that is sand-dominant or clay-dominant, this guide will give you the best performers around Australia and show you where to buy them online.

What stabilises slopes

  • Fibrous root mass
  • Plants that knit soil together over time
  • Tolerance of runoff and drying cycles

Grasses suited to slopes

Native low-mow turf

Zoysia native hybrid ‘ZOY01’ PBR Trade Name Ozbreed Zen Grass®

Zen Grass

This native lawn grass that only needs mowing once per year in Brisbane. I wish we’d had this installed around playgrounds when I was working in council maintenance. It has fine, dense foliage with a low mounding habit and requires very little maintenance. It is the ideal lawn “alternative” for someone who actually does want a lawn.

Poa

Poa spp. ‘POL12’ PBR Trade Name Eskdale Blue™

Blue-leaved tussock grass forming soft mounded clumps; ideal for mass planting and low-maintenance gardens

Poa poiformis PP500 Trade Name Kingsdale™

Compact Poa with bright soft flowers and fine foliage; ideal for mass/mixed planting and native gardens

Poa spp. ‘POL11’ PBR Trade Name Rustic™

Fine-leaf native grass with rustic-brown seed heads; drought tolerant and well-suited to landscaping

Cenchrus

Cenchrus purpurascens ‘PA300’ Trade Name Nafray®

 Nafray

Non‑invasive native grass with fine texture; drought/flood tolerant and showy plumes

Cenchrus purpurascens Trade Name Cream Lea®

Cream Lea

Variegated Australian grass with green and cream striped leaves; compact and easy-care ornamental grass

Cenchrus purpurascens ‘PAV300’ PBR Trade Name Pennstripe™

Variegated dwarf fountain grass with stripy leaves; clump forming and non-invasive

Lomandra

Lomandra labill. ‘LM600’ PBR Trade Name Evergreen Baby™

Evergreen Baby

Dense compact Lomandra with fine foliage; hardy and tolerant of drought and wet soil

Lomandra ‘LM301’ PBR Trade Name Grass Tree 310™

Grass Tree

Quick-growing mat rush bred to resemble a young grass tree; tall narrow habit

Lomandra longifolia ‘MURU’ PBR Trade Name Great White™

Great White

Variegated Lomandra with green-and-cream striped leaves and larger flowers

Lomandra hystrix ‘LHBYF’ PBR Trade Name Katie Belles™

Tall Lomandra longifolia with graceful weeping foliage and large fragrant flower spikes; ideal feature or mass planting

Lomandra longifolia ‘KATRINUS DELUXE’ PBR

Lomandra Katrinus Deluxe

Improved dense form of Katrinus with masses of yellow flowers and uniform habit

Lomandra longifolia ‘LM360’ PBR Trade Name Lady Tanika®

Dwarf form of Tanika; neat clumping green foliage; sterile and disease-resistant

Lomandra longifolia ‘LM400’ Trade Name Nyalla®

Nyalla

Trunkless grass-tree-like Lomandra; fast-growing and coastal tolerant; good for erosion control

Lomandra fluviatilis ‘LM380’ PBR Trade Name Shara Blue™

Shara Blue

Blue-green version of Shara; compact erosion-control habit; resilient in exposed or wet sites

Lomandra fluviatilis ‘ABU7’ PBR Trade Name Shara™

Compact Lomandra with very fine leaves; ideal for erosion control and humid or wet soils

Lomandra hystrix ‘LHWP’ PBR Trade Name Tropic Cascade™

Mid-sized Lomandra hystrix with weeping deep-green foliage and fragrant yellow flowers; suits wet or dry soils

Lomandra confertifolia ‘SIR5’ PBR Trade Name Wingarra®

Wingarra

Low-growing Lomandra confertifolia with fine blue-green foliage; very tough

Dianella

Dianella caerulea ‘DCNC3’ PBR Trade Name Baby Breeze™

Baby Breeze

Dwarf form of Breeze® flax lily; mat-forming and weed-suppressing with blue flowers

Dianella caerulea DCNCO Trade Name Breeze®

Mid-sized Dianella with broad green leaves and masses of blue flowers; extremely tough and low-maintenance

  • The Plant Cellar: Pot; $12.90. https://theplantcellar.com.au/product/dianella-breeze/

Dianella caerulea DBB03 Trade Name Cassa Blue®

Cassa Blue

Native blue flax lily with broad steel-blue leaves and tall slender stems

Dianella hybrid ‘DP401’ PBR Trade Name Clarity Blue™

Clarity Blue

Silvery-blue native flax lily; broad steel-blue leaves and elegant form

Dianella caerulea DCMP01  Trade Name Little Jess™

Little Jess

Very compact flax lily with masses of purple spring flowers

Dianella revoluta DR5000 Trade Name Little Rev™

Dwarf Dianella with fine foliage and blue flowers; forms neat clumps; very hardy

Dianella revoluta DRG04 Trade Name Revelation®

Revelation

Mid-sized Dianella revoluta cultivar with blue flowers and robust growth; perfect for mass plantings

Dianella tasmanica TR20 Trade Name Tasred®

Tasred

Cold-hardy Dianella tasmanica with reddish leaf bases and blue berries; tough ornamental grass

Dianella tasmanica ‘TAS300’ PBR Trade Name Wyeena®

Variegated Tasman flax lily with striking cream and green striped leaves; hardy and drought tolerant

Buyer takeaway

For steep or exposed slopes, strappy monocots tend to be the most dependable. The varieties in this guide are all much improved cultivars of species that are already generally tough. To learn about Ozbreed’s erosion control testing, click this link: https://www.ozbreed.com.au/erosion-control-research/

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