brick edging to prevent erosion

We have water/erosion issues in our yard. Some of it is caused by the drains linked to the gutters, and some of it is caused simply by how the yard is graded.

In the front of our home, the water comes from the driveway and runs across the front walk then alongside a front bed, and into the grass. We also have water running across the front walk by the front door to drop directly into a bed, creating 2 channels, and then down the hill in the lawn. This has led to the new compost being dumped on the grass.

I decided to tackle part of the issue this weekend by installing a brick edge along the bed. I like to have the bricks at the same level as the lawn to make it easy to cut the grass. Having a raised edge would require my husband to weed-whack the area every time we cut the grass.

My other plan is to line the edge of the bed with large rocks like the one in the picture to displace the water when it hits the bed. I’m hoping to find most of the rocks around the yard. Generally, this should work for regular rain. I’m curious to see what happens when we have a pounding rain like we did Saturday night.

Filling the bed with plants should also help with erosion. We planted a rose bush last weekend in addition to the boxwood. We need to remove the Heavenly Bamboo next to the house and the bush you can see down by the river birch. The Heavenly Bamboo is invasive, and the bushes don’t add anything to the bed or yard.

To save money, I’m using bricks I found in our yard. Some were dumped by the driveway and covered by dirt. Others were dumped in a huge pile in the gully behind our home.

I dug the trench with a flat spade and then scooped out or added dirt to level the bricks. I have about 5 feet left to finish the edging.

I added the dirt and grass I removed from the front to the bed I’m building downhill from the driveway. We were unsuccessful in growing grass in this area last year. The area remains shaded most of the day, and the soil is Virginia red clay. My plan is to let the clumps break down over the year to build up the soil underneath. If the grass in the clumps sprouts, I’ll pull it and add it to my compost bin.