How to Design and Build a Dry Riverbed

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By Gardengates
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Design and Build a Dry Riverbed

Riverbeds are powerful features in a landscape. They can be functional as space dividers, vital as drainage conductors, beautiful as decor. Here are some pointers on building a successful riverbed.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Marking paint
Digging utensils
Weed block cloth or cement
Rocks

Step 1

This river bed twists down a hill and ends in a small pond with a bridge going over it.

What function do you want your riverbed to serve? If it might be conducting water (maybe from heavy rains) away from a structure, then it is vital you plan the course you want it to take in conjunction with where the water needs to flow. If it divides an area, consider how all the areas will lay out. If it is decorative, think about where it will look best yet not be in the way of easy passage -- or plan a bridge for crossing. Roughly sketching your plans on paper is highly recommended.
Step 2

Draw out your riverbed with marking paint so you can see how it will fit in. Riverbeds are never straight lines so make sure it meanders.
Step 3

To keep weeds from growing in your riverbed, you can line it with cement (especially if you expect it to fill with water regularly) or put down weed block before you fill the area. Make sure you dig your stream bed lower than surrounding soil. Not only does water naturally scour out its trail, but the depression is necessary to allow any water that does enter to course down and away. A piled bed of rocks will look more like a 'poor Fido's grave' than a riverbed!
Step 4

Consider what style you want. If you want it natural, then choose to use local rock of different sizes. If you want it stylistic, you may want to use all the same rock, or black round 'river' stones, or maybe another type of rock. For a realistic look, keep in mind that nature has a random appearance and a real riverbed has boulders strewn here and there. A channel carved by running water will have patches of small gravel and pockets sand might even collect in spots.
Step 5

A pond-less waterfall has no pond, recycles water and makes a good fountainhead to start a dry riverbed.

Riverbeds and streams usually start somewhere and end somewhere. Try not to design yours popping out of nowhere. Make it appear out of a crop of boulders (an ideal place to build a pond-less waterfall) or curve out of a bed of large plants, a clump of trees or from behind a structure.
Step 6

This riverbed forms the edging for a flower garden. It also drains away overflow from the pond uphill from it in big rainstorms.

Your riverbed can be a useful French drain that can divert water away from your home from rain or swimming pool spillage. It can be used to divide one area from another -- for example a rose garden from the lawn. Or it can even work double-duty as an edging for a flower garden. Bridges over riverbeds make splendid focal points. And you can light it all up at night with low-voltage lighting or solar lamps. Have fun with your riverbed. It can be a major asset to your landscape!

Comments

melgrimes said

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on 6/11/2009 Great ideas. Thanks.

Jolocol said

on 6/8/2009 This article had me wishing I had a place to use it! You gave excellent directions!

poshadornment said

on 6/8/2009 I love this idea and would love to add it to my yard and include my pond and waterfall. Only problem is how to get the lawn mower over it. Gotta think that through. thanks for the ideas.