Keep your ground where it belongs!
Erosion control is one of the biggest challenges for gardeners, homeowners, and landscapers. The loss of topsoil doesn’t just ruin the look of your yard - it also strips away nutrients your plants and trees depend on. Whether you’re battling runoff on a hillside, preventing bank erosion near a pond or stream, or searching for the best groundcovers for slopes, erosion control plants are the most natural and effective solution.
The best plants for erosion - including groundcovers, shrubs, perennials, and trees - stabilize soil with deep roots, slow water runoff, and protect against wind erosion. Adding erosion control shrubs, soil-stabilizing perennials, and bank-stabilizing trees transforms problem areas into beautiful, eco-friendly landscapes. Erosion control plants work hard to keep your soil secure!
Since plants rely on healthy soil for nutrients, root support, and moisture retention, protecting your ground isn’t just important. It’s the foundation of a thriving landscape. Losing topsoil means losing healthy soil structure, plant growth, and even curb appeal. With erosion control landscaping, you can stop soil loss, improve water quality, and create a thriving yard. Let’s dig into the top plants for erosion control and how they can keep your soil (and your garden) right where Ma Nature intended!
What is Erosion
An estimated 36 billion tons of fertile topsoil is lost due to erosion each year!
Topsoil is that thin, organic layer that covers the rocky core of this blue and green bubble we’re floating on, and it is only about 5-10 inches deep! Everything that supports our entire ecosystem and food web is grown right there in less than a foot of the Earth.
Erosion is defined as the geological process in which soil is worn away and moved by natural means such as wind or water.
- Detaining, redirecting, or retaining rainwater until it soaks into the ground
- Slowing or stopping wind with windbreaks
- Building physical barriers and terraces
- Using conservation buffers
- Retaining walls
- Bank erosion control for rivers, ponds, and water features
- Erosion control plants, hydroseeding, cover crops, and reforestation
- Arborist bark chips or mulch
Here at Nature Hills, we can help with one of the most powerful control measures - plants!
Plants for Erosion Control!
Looking for the best plants for erosion control?
Whether you’re dealing with a rushing rainstorm, a crumbling stream or pond bank, or a steep hillside that sheds soil, the right plants can make all the difference. Instead of fighting erosion, let plants do the work by:
- Covering slopes with greenery that holds soil in place
- Creating a vertical rock garden that slows runoff naturally
- Terracing steep ground to control the flow of rainwater
Why Use Plants for Erosion Control?
Erosion control plants protect your soil and landscape in powerful ways:
- Strong, fibrous root systems lock soil in place and prevent washouts during heavy rains.
- Slower water flow allows soil to absorb moisture instead of sending your topsoil into storm drains.
- Natural filtration cleans water before it returns to the water cycle, keeping valuable topsoil where it belongs.
- Wind protection reduces dust and prevents topsoil from blowing away like a mini dust bowl.
By choosing the right erosion control shrubs, perennials, and groundcovers, you can stabilize banks, reduce runoff, and transform hard-to-mow slopes into lush, thriving landscapes.
Groundcovers: Living Mulch for Slopes
Groundcover plants are some of the best erosion control plants for slopes because they act like living mulch. They:
- Retain soil moisture and boost soil health
- Combat drought-related wind erosion
- Protect and benefit nearby shrubs and trees, just like cover crops or mulch do
- Beautify your hillside while protecting it
Benefits of Erosion Control Plants
When you add erosion control plants, you’re not just solving a problem, you’re gaining multiple landscape benefits:
- Soil stabilization on hillsides and streambanks
- Cleaner water through natural filtration
- Healthier soil that supports shrubs, trees, and perennials
- Eco-friendly landscaping that works with Ma Nature instead of against her
Groundcovers, cover crops, and erosion control plants don’t just hold your soil in place;, they make your yard more beautiful, resilient, and sustainable. Choosing the right plant is easy, and your landscape will thank you for years to come!
Choosing the Right Plants
Knowing you have a problem before it becomes a problem is half the battle! Choosing the right plants for your growing zone and location, plus the right plants for your type of erosion. Finding the right shrub or plant for your needs is easy!
Top 5 Wet Soil and Bank Stabilizing Trees and Shrubs
Go beyond the Willow trees, cattails, and potentially invasive Pampas Grasses with these wet soil-loving plants. A bank of mud can become a lovely garden feature!
- Viburnum Shrubs
- Bald Cypress
- Dogwood Shrubs - Silky Dogwood, Red Twigged Dogwood
- River Birch
- Buttonbush
Top 5 Erosion Control Perennials and Shrubs for Shade
Shade and erosion can make for a tricky combo, but these plants are here to save the day. Many groundcovers act as fantastic soil stabilizers while covering large areas of ground with their own creeping branches and spreading nature, turning what normally would be a barren hillside or washed away.
- Ferns like Christmas, Royal, Lady, and Cinnamon Ferns
- Diervilla (Bush Honeysuckle)
- Virginia Creeper
- Harbor Belle Nandina
- Buttonbush
Top 5 Soil Stabilizing Trees
Long-lived trees, and their extensive root systems, slow the rain as it comes down, and their roots hold soil in place beautifully! The broad, dense and deeply growing roots of trees are fantastic long-term soil stabilizing solutions with loads of their own perks and side benefits!
- Douglas Fir
- Crabapple Trees
- Western Red Cedar
- Loblolly Pine
- Willow Trees
Top 5 Soil Stabilizing Shrubs
Many native shrubs are just what the doctor ordered for holding soil right where it belongs. Roots of shrubs help hold soil and secure it in place, the leaves shade and protect the soil from blowing or flowing away, and both help retain soil moisture that also further helps keep soil from going anywhere.
- Red and Black Chokeberry (Aronia)
- Arrowwood and Maple-Leaf Viburnums
- Buttonbush
- Ninebark Shrubs
- Winterberry Holly
Top 5 Great Shrubs and Perennials for Hillside and Slopes
Take advantage of vining and spreading plants on slopes. Steep hills can be tricky with rushing water, eroding soil, pooling, and wind that gets trapped. Groundcovers and sprawling, flowing vines and spreading plants love to ramble down these hilly areas.
- Honeysuckle Vines
- Fountain Grass
- Bush Honeysuckle
- ,Massachusetts Kinnikinnick
- Groundcovers like Ajuga, Vinca, and Creeping Rosemary or Creeping Thyme
- Native Sumac
Top 5 Windbreak Plants to Fight Erosion
Whipping wind and drifting snow can carry away your soil fast! Plant a windbreak or hedge to block and slow the forces of nature.
- Sumac Bushes
- Arborvitae Shrubs
- Austrian Pine
- Black Willow
- Eastern Redcedar
Top 5 Perennials That Slow and Filter Water Runoff
Water runoff makes for a soggy one day, dry the next location which can be tricky! Choose plants that thrive in both conditions and keep their roots deep to hold the soil in place.
In addition to the wet soil plants above, try some of these for help as well.
- Sedge and Rush Grasses
- Lilyturf (Liriope)
- Blue Flag Iris
- Swamp Milkweed
- Swamp Sunflower
Care Tips For Erosion Control Plants
After planting, give your erosion control plants the right start:
- Add a 3-4 inch layer of arborist wood chips with mixed bark, stems, and shreds
- Water consistently until plants establish, if natural moisture is inconsistent
- Check slopes after storms and re-mulch bare spots if needed
- Prune shrubs and trees as needed to maintain structure and maximize soil shading
- Let groundcovers spread naturally - patience pays off with dense coverage
- Replace failing plants promptly so gaps don’t encourage runoff
Pretty Placeholders: Keeping Soil Grounded
Once planted, erosion control plants spread and grow, keeping your soil where it belongs. Birds, pollinators, curb appeal, and the environment all benefit when Ma Nature’s helpers go to work!
Keep your soil secure, protect your landscape, and add beauty with erosion control plants from NatureHills.com!
Happy Planting!
