How to Build a Stylish Dry Creek Bed

Stormwater runoff, and the damage it can leave behind, has become a seemingly unmanageable problem for gardeners from coast to coast. The perfect mix of  unpredictable and changing weather patterns, urban infill that plots houses just feet apart, and disturbed soil stratification due to poor grading practices can turn a beautiful garden into  a chaotic mess in short order. Fortunately, we gardeners have several options for mitigating the problem. These include installing mass plantings of rhizomatous grasses or shrubs that hold the ground in place and slow down stormwater, rebuilding soil structure, and installing dry creek beds.

If that last solution conjures up visions of a ditch filled with haphazardly placed chunks of stone cutting through your garden, think again. A dry streambed can be a beautiful focal point around which to build a garden—while still effectively moving stormwater to more desirable places. I’ve been designing dry streambeds for over 15 years and can promise you there is a style that fits nearly every garden. Hopefully, after seeing the beautiful spaces pictured here, you’ll want one of these  features for your very own—regardless of whether you have  a runoff problem or not.

Learn more:

A Gallery of Inspiring Naturalistic Dry Creek Beds

Designing a Rain Garden

Plants Making a Positive Impact on the Environment

In planning a new dry streambed, the first step is to study your particular space. There are four things to consider: the natural surroundings of your property, your personal aesthetic/style, the problem you are trying to solve for (i.e., how water currently runs through the landscape), and the topographical and/or soil-structure challenges of the site. After all, an ideal dry streambed should be both beautiful and functional.

The second step is to observe and understand how water flows in nature. Aside from the obvious fact that water moves downhill, nature offers subtle lessons in how to create a realistic and efficient streambed. By studying a stream, perhaps in a nearby park, you’ll notice that the water bounces off a boulder, regroups and changes course, and flows until it meets another obstacle before again changing