EROSION CONTROL WITH PLANTS, BERMS, AND SWALES IN THE LANDSCAPE

Written by Seedlings Landscape Design Build

Erosion control in the landscape is primarily about slowing down and managing how water moves across a property. When water rushes through too quickly, it can carry soil with it, leading to washouts, bare patches, and bigger drainage issues over time. A landscape designer’s goal is to give that water a clear, intentional path, helping it soak in gradually instead of running off.

Some techniques that can be used to help guide surface water include a combination of grading and swales. Swales are shallow channels that follow the natural contours of the land, often curving through the landscape to slow the water down. This gentle, meandering path gives water more time to absorb into the soil and helps prevent erosion from fast-flowing runoff.

On slopes, you can create berms (mounded soil areas) and use boulders to further slow the water flow. These features act like speed bumps for water, breaking up its energy before it reaches the lower points of the property.

Plants also play a fundamental role in erosion control, especially when used alongside grading features. Grasses and other plants with fibrous root systems are great at holding soil in place, creating a living net below the surface. Groundcovers are another favorite—they spread across the soil, anchoring it down and protecting it from rain-splash and runoff. In Central Texas, some of the most successful native plants that can be used for erosion control and heavily graded properties are Gregg's mist flower, Muhly grasses, Sedge (Carex) grasses, and Salvia coccinea (Scarlet sage).

Successful designs intentionally mesh the use of curated planting and the creation of little obstacle courses for water to move through, letting it bounce off rocks, flow through thick grasses, or weave between planting beds. All of these techniques slow things down, give the water more time to soak in, and ultimately keep the soil right where it belongs.

Erosion Control Diagram by Reese Baloutine, owner of Seedlings Landscape Design Build