Beginner Gardening: Serious erosion problem, clay & new pond, 0 by 2racingboys

2racingboys wrote:
to make a long story short....
we just put in the new pond and need to know what I can do with this big tree root.
I had been planning on mainly hostas, but know I need other things to help with the erosion problem
What can I use to help?

The people that lived here before us didn't have anything back here, grass would not even survive b/c the clay is so compacted. Nothing has been back here for probably 8+ years. When we get a hard rain, the slope creates a small stream and washes downward.

What can I do?