5 Landscape Design Ideas For Erosion And Sediment Control

Living in Florida, you might have seen firsthand how intense rainstorms can affect the landscaping. Whether your land is totally flat or nuanced with different levels, erosion and sediment control can be a huge issue.

Keeping the soil in place is not only good for your land, it’s good for the environment. When sediment travels into waterways, whether it’s a pond on your property or an area river or just sewer drainage, it affects your local waters.

The sediment contains bacteria, nutrients, chemicals and other things that aren’t good for the water system and those who rely on it, like fish, animals and even humans. Sediment clogs up these bodies of water, giving the water less room to flow, which can cause flooding and a murky appearance.

How Can I Control Erosion And Sediment?

The good news is that landscaping for erosion and sediment control in your residential or commercial landscape is a real solution — and it's a technique that can also make your property look its best. Check out the following five landscape design ideas for better erosion and sediment control on your property.

Take Advantage Of The Natural Slope

Rather than bulldozing or flattening your slopes, make them unique property features. You can install matting (synthetic or natural fiber) on steep or shallow slopes, which is a great way to keep soil in place on top, and allow plants to get — and stay — established.

You can also build partial low walls in spots on your slope, which act as a barrier and stabilizer to keep erosion at bay. Grass, groundcover and mulch all work well on slopes to keep the soil in place.

Consider A Terraced Landscape

For landscaping that is steeper and deeper, some clients like a terraced effect. Low walls can be built in several places, running the length of the space, to keep the sections separated.

To make them more decorative, these walls often aren’t straight, but flow in a wavy or curved manner. You can use a variety of materials for the walls depending on the look you want, including wood, pavers or stone. Plant the same thing in each section, or vary it.

Try Mounds For An Island Effect

If you have small rises in your landscaping, make those into islands or borders of vegetation, in contrast to the surrounding area. You can plant trees, flowers, shrubs or other plants, with a mulched base that makes it stand out.

Walkway Edging

Keep your walkways clean and your grass and soil in place by installing edging between the path and the grass or mulched area. Edging comes in many materials, including bricks, concrete, rock, plastic and rubber.

Pond Barriers

If your property has a pond, you’ll definitely want to prevent soil and sediment erosion into it. At minimum, you’ll want to make sure there’s solid vegetation on the edge of the water, to keep the soil in place. Cobblestones laid in a wall pattern inside the water edge can shore up the soil, though you can use any kind of rock or even broken concrete. Flexible mesh works too.

GreenEarth Is Your Source For Erosion And Sediment Control

The most important thing in preventing soil or sediment erosion is to always keep your soil covered. Preserving the existing groundcover or adding new vegetation or mulch goes a long way to keeping your soil in place and reducing erosion.

If you’re interested in learning more about what can be done to improve the erosion and sediment control on your property, contact us. We can talk to you about what types of grasses and plants are best for preventing erosion in the Florida panhandle, and how to improve your landscaping at the same time.

Give us a call at our Panama City Beach office at (850) 236-1959, or call our Santa Rosa Beach office at (850) 267-0010 to set up an appointment. You can also fill out the online form on our website to schedule a consultation.

Images: Soil erosion sign, Mulched landscape bed