It was easy during the dry summer months to forget about water issues such as leaky roofs, standing water, and perhaps the most obnoxious and notorious landscaping problem: land erosion. Even if you don’t see mudslides and wet gullies, erosion is still happening (or will) in the future.
Photography by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
In her Austin, Texas garden, landscape architect Christine Ten Eyck has a thin crust of soil over limestone. Erosion is the process that happens when the surface of the earth wears down.
What Is Erosion?
Pea gravel covers an under layer of stabilized decomposed granite to prevent runoff in landscape architect Christine Ten Eyck’s garden in Texas.
What Causes Erosion?
To know if you have erosion issues look for symptoms such as splashes and pooling of mud on hardscaped surfaces, exposed roots, and ruts leading down hill.
Plants
Plant roots will hold soil in place on a slope. The concept is that when plant roots get established, they anchor the soil.
For more, see Hardscaping 101: Retaining Walls. One way to prevent erosion is to stair-step the slope with walls.
Retaining Walls
Photograph by Art Gray.
Barriers
For more of this garden, see The Tropical Life: A Family Camp on Jamaica by Designer Sean Knibb. Rip rap diverts and slows water flow but the look can be less than appealing if small plants or succulents are not planted between the stone to soften the look.
Mulch
Cedar mulch recedes into the background to heighten the colors of surrounding foliage. If the area in question is not too steep, then a thick layer of mulch (preferably 2 to 3 inches) can help stabilize the soil.
For more, see 10 Easy Pieces: Rain Barrels. Adding various sized stones to the bottom of your rain garden aids in the slowing process.
Rain Gardens
French Drains
For more, see Homestead Act: A Family Trades City Life for a Farm on Martha’s Vineyard.
A swale in NYC’s Pelham Bay Park. Sometimes this method is also called a dry creek bed.
Photograph by Marie Viljoen.
Swales