The following five garden spaces are a respectable representation of the salmagundi of vogue that dry creek - bed designs can encompass . Each of these designs also clear a alone issue stem from a challenging land site prone to runoff .
Jay Sifford describes more in his articleHow to Design a Stylish Dry Creek Bed :
“ A dry streambed can be a beautiful focal point around which to build a garden — while still efficaciously moving stormwater to more desirable office . I ’ve been design dry streambeds for over 15 years and can promise you there is a style that fits well-nigh every garden . Hopefully , after seeing the beautiful spaces pictured here , you ’ll want one of these feature for your very own — regardless of whether you have a runoff problem or not . ”

Design 1:Asian-inspired dry creek bed
▸ Problem : Urban infill within a design biotic community of townhomes sited extremely close together
▸ Solution : A Japanese - inspire skinny streambed channelize runoff from the neighbor ’s roofline down a narrow channel and out into a communal greensward areabeyond the fencing line . Additionalwater that sometimes pools off the concrete terrace flows into the dry creek bed and is then engage by the slow plantings along its savings bank .
Design 2:Dry creek bed for an urban family-friendly lot
▸ Problem : A narrow , awkward blank space between the house and a detached service department , with a important form change and damaged land substratum
▸ Solution : This dry streambed starts at the top of the slope and claim up all the space between the garage and the side of the home , directing and disport water flow from the neighboring property downward in a well - managed manner . The bed widens at the end , organize a basin where the runoff can pool and be tardily occupy into the surrounding garden bed .
Design 3:Streambed for a steep woodland slope
▸ Problem : A sharp hill make from newfangled construction that resulted in an area of extreme corroding
▸ Solution : This long , meandering streambed has several curves and call on throughout that divert water gently downthe embankment . Because of the size and scale of thisstreambed , declamatory than normal stones were potential , a seriesof which was placed within the trench to help slow downand hive off the huge bulk of water this site view .
▸ Detail not to be miss

Natural , existing stone outcroppings ( some of them smooth and called “ slide stone ” ) were comprise into the purpose to produce the feel that this juiceless streambed has always been present on the prop .
Design 4:Contemporary lakeside landscape streambed
▸ Problem : Unstoppable runoff from the roofline pooled right against the introduction , increasing the hazard of basement implosion therapy
▸ Solution : A deep yet fairly straight creek bed build just off the foundation pulls water away from the theater and to the bound of the place . Dense garden beds along the banks avail by absorbing much of the runoff .
Some ferns have reseeded themselves into the river rock and now facilitate make this streambed feel like it ’s an organic feature of the site .

Design 5:Large suburban front-yard dry creek bed
▸ Problem : Lack of a focal power point in an grand street - confront region
▸ result : This streambed is purely aesthetic and was created to give the turgid front yard an oculus - catchingfocal point . It need a bolddesign to brook out from the surrounding landscape painting . embed flagstone repose on end and secured with polymeric grit create theillusion of flow body of water .
A adult male - made water system feature at the closing of the faux river provides an add up visual treat for visitors and passersby along the street .

Jay Sifford is an award - succeed garden interior designer in Charlotte , North Carolina .
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