5 Easy Ways to Prevent Erosion in Your Garden

5 Easy Ways to Prevent Erosion in Your Garden

This past year brought serious challenges to property owners in Sonoma County as many major storms moved through the region, at times dumping historic amounts of rainfall in very short periods of time. We saw widespread erosion and property damage and addressed a variety of issues. Here are 5 ways we implemented solutions to avoid erosion in our clients gardens through expert landscaping design in Sonoma County. 

  • Ensure Downspouts Route to a Drainage System

Very commonly homes are built with gutters that drain directly into the landscape. In some situations this is not an issue, such as when water can freely move away from structures and patios, however often it leads to saturated soils which can damage hardscapes, flood the root zones of plants, and cause significant erosion around the foundations at home. Our design team at Inspired Landscapes can provide guidance regarding how best to address drainage from your roofs and into the landscape. 

A channel drain installed at a design build project in Rohnert Park

  • Install Channel Drains to Prevent Washing Out Pathways

Channel drains are very useful for catching water moving over a hardscape surface in a wide area, or when a slope of a hardscape is even over a wide area. When designing and installing new pathways and patios, we can grade an area to drain to a specific point, but sometimes we are working with fixed elevations such as the example above for a design build client in Rohnert Park. They wanted to solve an issue where they washed their concrete RV storage floor out into the landscape and would have issues with the gravel eroding. By installing a channel drain between the two surfaces we were able to capture the water, and move it outside the gravel area preventing washouts from occurring. 

A decomposed granite pathway suffers from erosion due to dripping water from a deck above

  • Carefully Choose Hardscapes

Sometimes it feels like a no-brainer to pick whatever pathway surface you want, however not all materials are created equal in terms of resistance to erosion. This decomposed pathway was severely damaged as a result of water dripping down from a deck on the second story above. Unfortunately this was the wrong material for this location where a more stable surface such as stone, pavers, or concrete would have been resistant to erosion. Choosing the right landscape contractor can be essential, as they can provide sound advice for proper hardscaping materials and location.

A decomposed granite pathway on a hillside is washed away during winter storms

  • Consider Pathway Sloping and Water Diversion

Not only is it important to consider pathway materials that are resistant to erosion, but considering how the surrounding slopes might impact a pathway is also helpful. In the photo above, all seemed well and good until surface water during a major winter storm flowed down hill and over the pathway nearly entirely washing out the pathway surface. In this case, french drains and swales cut into the hillside above could have helped slow down and divert the surface water that eventually caused the washout. Working with a landscape designer can improve your property value by designing functional irrigation systems and landscapes that prevent washouts and erosion.

Two surface drains in this paver patio collect water into a subsurface drainage system

  • Install Surface Drains to Collect Water

Installing surface drains with catch basins that connect to subsurface drainage systems is a helpful design tool that prevents water from washing off these surfaces into the landscape and causing erosion. The patio shown above is a particularly large area, if all the water that fell onto it during a rainstorm was allowed to run off the patio, it would likely cause erosion in the landscape. Instead, the patio was graded so that water runs towards the locations of the drains, capturing the water and safely diverting it away from areas vulnerable to erosion. 

Keep Your Garden Protected – Inspired Landscapes

Protecting your garden from erosion starts with smart landscaping choices. From proper drainage solutions to selecting the right hardscape materials, small adjustments can make a big difference in preventing damage.

 At Inspired Landscapes, we specialize in designing and implementing erosion-resistant landscapes tailored to Sonoma County’s unique climate. Contact us today or give us a call at (707) 395-7474 to discuss how we can help safeguard your property with expert landscaping solutions!