Erosion Control: Protecting Your Property from the Forces of Nature
Uncover easy erosion control tips to keep your yard intact and beautiful. Protect your property while improving your landscape’s health.
If you live in a home with a sloping yard or near a water source, there’s a good chance you’ve had to deal with erosion. It’s one of those things that creeps up on you. You’re going on with your daily lives, and then it’s too late—like a small leak that turns into a flood.
As a landscape architect who’s worked on hundreds of residential properties, I can tell you that erosion control is not just for the countryside; it’s also a vital issue for homeowners in urban and suburban areas. Let’s examine erosion, why it’s a problem, and how to prevent it from wreaking havoc on your landscape and causing foundation damage.
WHAT DOES EROSION HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
Erosion is the wearing away of the earth’s surface, typically caused by water or wind. When it comes to your property, the culprit is often rainwater running off your roof, down your driveway, or across your lawn, carrying soil away.
Over time, this can create ditches, weaken slopes, undercut hardscape, and create unsightly mud puddles and messes. Suppose you’ve noticed a muddy path after heavy rain or watched a favorite tree slowly sink into the earth. In that case, you’ve seen an erosion in action.
As a landscape designer, I remember a project where the homeowner had a beautiful sloped backyard with a lovely garden. Still, the topsoil and mulch eroded every time it rained, leaving their plants to struggle. The result was a barren patch of earth where nothing could grow. It was a painful sight, and after some investigation, we realized the water flow down the slope was doing all the damage. The slope tapered, creating a channel that dumped tons of water onto my client’s garden.
We created a swale at the top of the slope to direct stormwater runoff around the garden area. Two weeks after the installer completed it, a severe storm tested the regrading. A small amount of mulch still washed out, but the soil remained.
WHY IS EROSION A PROBLEM FOR RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES?
You might wonder, “Okay, water is wearing away my soil, but why does it matter?” Well, erosion can cause many problems for homeowners, from undermining your landscaping to damaging your home’s foundation. In extremely serious cases, it can even lead to structural instability or flooding in your basement. But even if the damage isn’t immediate or obvious, erosion can silently degrade your landscape by removing topsoil and precious nutrients, making it harder for plants to thrive and increasing the need for constant replanting and maintenance.
KEY EROSION CONTROL SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR YARD
Fortunately, several ways exist to control erosion on your property without making it an expensive project. You can do it yourself or hire a professional, but these solutions can save you headaches down the road.
1. Plant Groundcover
Groundcover plants are one of the most effective ways to control erosion. They create a dense network of roots that hold the soil together, and the roots absorb water, slow down runoff, and stabilize the soil.
I recommend choosing native plants for groundcover because they adapt to the local climate and require less water. For a steeper slope, you might want to consider plants like creeping thyme, sedum, native pachysandra, or even grasses like fescue. In my own experience, I’ve used native perennials like wild ginger and bearberry in areas where water runoff was a concern. Just ensure you’re giving the ground cover the conditions it needs to survive, like sun versus shade.
I like using groundcovers for large bare soil areas to avoid planting turf grass. I love the look of a well-maintained, deep-edged planting bed of all groundcovers adjacent to a manicured lawn. The change in the texture and color between a lawn and a groundcover bed is one of my favorite landscape design touches.
2. Install Retaining Walls
Retaining walls is an ancient solution for flattening a slope and reducing erosion. It’s a way to terrace the land. They look attractive and serve the dual purpose of holding back soil and making an area flatter and more usable. By breaking up a significant slope into smaller, flatter sections, retaining walls reduce the impact of water by slowing it down so it’s not rushing directly down the incline and help prevent soil from washing away.
I’ve worked on several projects involving retaining walls, and while they can be expensive, they’re worth it. They’re accommodating in areas with a significant slope or if you’re planning to build a patio or garden near a hill.
Our landscape architecture firm typically designs retaining walls made of timber, boulders, concrete blocks with a natural stone veneer, or a concrete retaining wall system like Unilock or Techo-Bloc. We only specify timber when the wall is temporary, which will only be needed by the homeowner for up to eight years. Whichever material you choose, a well-constructed retaining wall can prevent future erosion problems while adding a modern, clean look to your yard.
3. Use Mulch and Wood Chips
Mulching is like the unsung hero of erosion control. A layer of mulch or aged wood chips can slow down water runoff and protect the soil underneath. Not only does mulch prevent erosion, but it also helps retain moisture, which is essential for plant health.
I often recommend using a variety of organic mulches, such as wood chips, tree bark, or straw, which work well to absorb and slow down water movement. Make sure to reapply mulch yearly, as it can break down over time.
4. Create a Rain Garden
Rain gardens are a method of capturing stormwater runoff and allowing it to seep into the ground slowly. They are typically planted in depressions or low-lying areas where homeowners naturally collect water. Rain gardens help manage runoff, support native plants, increase biodiversity, and reduce erosion risk.
A rain garden might be the right solution if you have a spot in your yard that tends to collect water after a rainstorm. First, you must perform a percolation test to see how much water the area you choose for your rain garden will absorb over a certain amount of time.
5. Install Erosion Control Blankets or Matting
For more severe erosion issues, especially on newly disturbed soil or slopes, erosion control blankets or matting can be a lifesaver. Engineers designed these jute or coconut fiber blankets to hold the soil in place while plants establish themselves.
It’s essential that the landscape contractor installs blankets and matting correctly. I’ve seen jobs where the contractor didn’t use enough earth staples on long rolls of jute matting, and they slid down the slope they were placed on, bunched up at the bottom, and then buried in mud. The contractor had to reprepare the area, reseed it, and reinstall the jute matting.
6. Proper Grading and Drainage
Good grading and drainage are essential for preventing erosion, especially if your property has low spots or water tends to collect in certain areas. Proper grading directs water away from your home and toward designated drainage areas. Water can pool near the foundation without proper grading, causing erosion and potentially damaging your foundation or basement.
I tell my clients that the most important thing is that you have positive drainage away from your house. That means that water never drains directly towards your home’s foundation. Typically, stormwater is directed around and away from home by small, shallow watercourses called swales. An adequately installed swale is barely visible to the naked eye. Homeowners can plant them with lawns or low plantings.
WHEN TO CALL A PROFESSIONAL
Sometimes, erosion issues can get complicated—like when your steep slope or the water runoff is extreme. While there are plenty of DIY solutions, if you’re dealing with severe erosion or a situation that could threaten your property’s foundation, it’s time to call a professional.
Suppose your erosion problem has reached the point where more than six inches of soil has washed away from your foundation or gullies two feet deep in your yard. In that case, you should skip the call to the landscape architect and call a civil engineer. I am trained as a landscape architect to handle minor, run-of-the-mill erosion and sedimentation problems.
I’ve worked with many DIY homeowners who tried to fix erosion issues independently, only to find the problem reappearing or moving to a different area after a heavy rainy season. That’s when I got a call, and our goal was to come up with a more permanent solution—whether it was a retaining wall, grading, or advanced drainage systems.
CONCLUSION
Many homeowners consider erosion one of those “out of sight, out of mind” problems, but ignoring it can lead to costly repairs and heart ache. By implementing a few of these erosion control solutions, you can protect your property, keep your plants happy, and avoid expensive damage to your home.
There are many ways to work with the forces of nature, whether planting groundcover, installing a retaining wall, or managing drainage properly. After all, your yard is an investment and deserves the care and attention to keep it intact for years.
