There are many options that you can work into your yard and garden to help out the condition of your soil, vegetation, and trees, and at the same time, keep the environment protected against harmful chemicals in your water runoff and erosion from wind and rain. With permeable pavers, you can add attractive inclusions to your property and build an inviting landscape that takes care of itself and the surrounding elements. Here are some landscaping tips for an attractive yard and pavement that is beneficial to the environment.
Understand Permeable Pavement Benefits
Concrete and asphalt pavements are helpful for improving your property and reducing erosion and soil loss where there is no vegetation. However, pavements can cause water runoff from precipitation and irrigation loss that ends up going into waterways and overwhelming storm drains. In addition, excessive amounts of water runoff collected in community drains can also wash off pollutants from the pavement, and they end up downstream and in the waterways of your area.
To prevent this from occurring, the installation of permeable pavement corrects these issues but also keeps precipitation and irrigation in your own yard and soil. So instead of flowing down your pavement and into the gutters and storm drains, the runoff flows down into the soil of your yard below permeable pavement layers.
Select the Right Permeable Pavement
There are several types of permeable pavement options, and depending on the appearance and use, you may choose from one of the more popular types. One type of permeable pavement consists of a pattern of bricks or paver stones that are installed with a gap between each of the stones. Between the stones, you install a layer of fine gravel that fills the voids and holds the paver stones in place, which allows for moisture permeation to the ground soil below.
If you want a more natural type of permeable pavement, you can install flagstone pieces surrounded by a layer of pea gravel or crushed rock for the water permeation. And another option is to install a layer of decomposed granite, which is finely ground granite. This layer is compacted over a layer of angular gravel that provides a solid foundation and helps drain the moisture down into the soil.
You can also add a dry riverbed as a permeable feature in your yard, which collects runoff from your roof. Instead of allowing the water to seep directly down into the soil around your home's foundation, the river rocks divert water as it saturates into the soil to prevent erosion and soil loss.