Ivy does not root deeply in the soil so it is not a very effective control for erosion. A variety of deep rooted plants work better. A hillside that does not have much in the way or organic matter will erode more, like sandy beach soil.
Recent studies have shown that a hillside with organic matter is a more effective in controling erosion.

I've done several landslide remdiation projects for residences in my area and to be precise, you want plants with fiberous, widespreading root systems, rather than those with necessarily deep roots, which is why certain evergreen groundcovers tend to be recommended for erosion control. Additionally, groundcovers tend to develop widespreading above ground vegetative growth that is effective in deflecting rainfall, also reducing erosion. It is more advisable to plant low growing plants, like groundcovers, as the primary stabilizing plants rather than taller trees or shrubs, as the groundcovers establish faster and rainwater that collects on leaves of taller growing plants produce larger droplets that create more of an impact when they fall and hit the soil surface. Native plants are typically first on the list, especially if slopes are common to your area (as they are here), but more exotic ornamentals will work well also if selected with care.

If the slope is steep, geotextiles like jute netting are recommended in addition to plantings. And a mulch will help also, but not all mulches will be equally effective (too light a mulch, like compost, will wash away) and inorganic mulches like gravel or riprap are often more effective than organic ones..

English ivy is an excellent plant for slope stabilization, as it produces both the widespread root system as well as dense, low growing vegetative growth, however it does have invasive tendencies and should be used with that consideration well in mind. And I'd eagerly dispute ivy's ability to root deeply and thoroughly with anyone who has not attempted to clean out an established patch of English ivy where it wasn't wanted.

Everything Lovely and Gardengal says is true but doesnt' relate to my point. BTW Jute will decompose and lose the value of my method of slope holding.
The ground cover grows into the landscape cloth (geotextile) then the entire landscape cloth must move to erode and the water drops do not in fact hit the soil surface.
I've done exactly this with creeping phlox and ivy with success!
There are dwarf ivy varieties that are far less invasive, the types found in hanging baskets and groceries in 3 or 4 inch pots.

Why not join us at the Hillside gardening forum?

Farmers and ranchers plant tall fescue grass on the spillways of their ponds and tanks (Texas ponds). And they don't let the cattle eat that grass - it is there for one reason, to stop the pond from washing away when it floods.

Grass will work with or without the landscape cloth depending on the slope. If you have a good stand of grass it will lay down and cause the water to flow over the grass and reduce the contact with the soil.

With soil, if ever a small stream starts then it will eventually get larger, with the cloth the water never runs on the soil.

Personally, I never want to mow a grade so grass is never a consideration for me.

I think Texas DOT is one of the groups that found positive results in using compost to mitigate erosion (read up on this a while back but don't remember all details now). I suspect that the steepness of the slope has a lot to do with how successful this method is.

Here is one link I just found for alternatives to english ivy: http://www.vnps.org/resources/ALTERNATIVESENGLISHIVY.htm

I second the use of erosion control blankets and hard armor where needed or most sensible but I detest english ivy (in North America).

I have read the same negatives about english ivy as lovelycherry has. In any event, english ivy is an environmental catastrophe. BTW, my experience is that it does not root very deep but that it does spread laterally and also up trees. Admittedly, it is difficult to rip up an established ivy patch which is why I have been procrastinating on some patches but I'll get to it eventually. There is a website for a group called the No Ivy League that has posted a lot of techniques for removal. As always, I also reccommend The Nature Conservancy's management profiles - may as well take advantage of all of that free and thorough research.

I certainly didn't mean to infer that I recommended English ivy - only that it has properties that are effective in controlling erosion. English ivy was imported to my area in the 1860's specifically for this purpose. Its method of growth - rooting along the stems at nodes - is one of the reasons why it forms such an effective and rapid vegetative cover. However, its drawbacks far outweigh any benefits - it is a noxious pest and in areas where its growth is invasive (all of the Northwest and many parts of the eastern seaboard), it should be avoided in favor of other, less rampantly invasive alternatives.

As I mentioned previously, in many cases native plants will be preferable for this purpose, as they are well adapted to the growing conditions and often already accomplish erosion control very handily in areas where they have been allowed to flourish without being overrun by exotic invasives. And a biologically diverse planting is always preferable to a monoculture for numerous reasons, so limiting the coverage to a single species is unlikely to provide the same degree of control as planting a variety of plants with a variety of habits and sizes.

Interestingly, most of the sites that recommend against ivy for erosion control do so for this reason - ivy will quickly choke out native vegetation and instead of having a mix of plantings with both fiberous, shallow but widespreading root systems together with some that offer deeper anchorage, you have only the comparatively shallow-rooted ivy. And depending on the degree of slope and the reasons for its instability, you may still experience slope failure.

My school in California used creeping red fescue to control slopes (school was built on the foothills east of Los Angeles). Here's a link to see what it looks like on a hill.

First of all there are few different causes of erosion on slopes.. sometimes its simply the steepness, sometimes its the type of soil combined with the steepness, sometimes its the type soil, combined with the steepness, overland flow, and rainfall impact.

The vegetation one chooses to hold a slope must consider the type of erosion that is occuring, slope angle, slope facing direction (north, south, east or west), the soil condition and the CLIMATE.

I would never use English Ivy to control erosion on a slope - because its invasive. It may be effective for rainfall impact, but most ivy's do not have the root system that is the desirable goal for slopes. Ivy has deep rhizomatous roots that spread readily, however they are not fibrous enough, nor do they create a dense mat that holds soil for sliding or under toe cutting conditions.

Erosion control blankets vary in their function, depending upon the mat. But the primary function of most erosion control blankets is simply to hold the seed bank in place on the slope, until the vegetation is established. The blanket is considered temporary... the vegetation is the ultimate control and the blanket is designed to eventually decompose.

Some erosion control blankets do have a long term control capabilities, particularly those selected to increase tension ability of the soil in water courses. The vegetation is still the primary source of erosion control, and the underlying netting funtions to increase the soil ability to withstand shear stresses.

Grass (fescues or natives) with deep fibrous root mats are probably the most desirable for erosion control on slopes. This grass should only be mowed once (maybe twice) a year.... the longer the grass the better the root system and the better the erosion control.

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Here is a link that might be useful: Root Systems of Native grasses

I'm talking about spunbonded poly not the types designed to decompose.
Different application altogether!

Very interesting JPW.
We have friends who swear by crown vetch, in the right place. We have acquaintances who got a bum deal: what passes for a landscaper around here (somebody with a bulldozer, a backhoe and a seeder) seeded their steep slope with lawn grass, no clover, and we've been watching that slope wash away and erode, get reseeded and wash away, year after year, for three years. I keep thinking about recommending crown vetch or some kind of clover but want to be sure it's good advice. The crown vetch would have a hard time being invasive I think because the surrounding area is spruce woods, native shrubs and poor soil.

Crown vetch is another ground cover that used to be recommended for erosion control but based upon experience it is no longer reccomended for erosion control. Crown vetch is a lot like ivy in that makes a good ground cover for rainfall impact, but the roots are rhizomatos and running and do not form a dense mat under the turf. Crown vetch can actually aggravate erosion in the event of overland flow or and undercutting situation.. Please do not use crown vetch for erosion control.

Assuming plenty of sunlight: In a rural, non-urban setting, I recommend a native grass mixture for slopes. In an urban or suburban setting I recommend a mix of K31 Fescue, perennial ryegrass, jasper red clover and landino clover for slopes.

For shady areas the recommended mix tends to be much more specific. And I usually recommended reducing the shade, if possible, for sloped areas.

There are many types of erosion control blankets available for different applications. Both the vegetation and the blanket need to be selected for each specific site. There is no one magic fix that will work for every situation.

I used creeping red fescue (an allegedly native variety) with some virginia wild rye and one or two other native types of grass seed with an erosion control blanket on a steep slope to good effect that is in medium shade. The one problem is that some kids ran on the slope and their relatively minor weight still managed to tear off some of the grass (how the little darlings run straigh up and down an intensely vertical slope is something that us "mature adults" can't fathom even though we used to do it also). I think the slope is just too steep to hold in the grass if someone walks or runs on it - otherwise the grass works great. I have to be very careful when weeding or I end up repeating the kids' mistake. A trick someone taught me is to lay a ladder against the slope and stand on that when working. Maybe I need to add in some suckering shrubs or something else??? I might need to terrace but am trying to avoid the thought since it would all have to be done by hand. Also thought about gabions but haven't done anything about it yet. Some companies also reccommend "turf reinforcement mats" but I haven't tried them.