I have cattails that have taken over a large section of my yard for years, which have made the land underneath deeply muddy and impassable. When I clear the cattails away, the sun will dry out the land in a matter of days, but eventually heavy rains come in and wash away the soil in the area I've cleared.
I would like to plant something in place of the cattails that will help prevent erosion but will also allow the land underneath to dry out.
It's a very large area, and I'd like to avoid needing to mow it, so I imagine I need something that grows quickly, but is not very tall or thick (so the sun can penetrate it), and grows perennial in Zone 6 in the US.
Any ideas?