Culvert Landscaping Ideas

When you hear someone referring to a culvert, they are typically referring to either a drainage ditch, or to a pipe used to extend a drainage ditch under a feature such as a road or driveway. While some consider a culvert to be an eyesore, covering one by building around it is prohibited by many cities. The solution is to landscape your property in such as way as to hide the culvert from your sight.

Hedges

Thick growing shrubs can create a low-growing hedge or a natural barrier to block the view of a culvert from the yard. For screening a culvert, select a broad-leafed evergreen variety of bush such as the boxwood. Shrubs can be an expensive addition to the home. But because they are long-lasting, it is possible to add them slowly to your landscaping over time. When choosing a shrub, you should always determine the eventual size and shape and the way in which a shrub will grow before purchasing it.

Bridges

Thick growing shrubs can create a low-growing hedge or a natural barrier to block the view of a culvert from the yard. For screening a culvert, select a broad-leafed evergreen variety of bush such as the boxwood. Shrubs can be an expensive addition to the home. But because they are long lasting, it is possible to add them slowly to your landscaping over time. When choosing a shrub, you should always determine the eventual size and shape and the way in which a shrub will grow before purchasing it.

Vines

A third way to landscape with a culvert in mind is to build trellises to screen the culvert. Trellises can be planted with fruit such as grapes and muscadine, or with flowering plants such as clematis or morning glories. The leaves of these densely growing vines will help to screen the presence of a culvert from view. Vines that double as ground cover such as ivy can also be planted in the culvert to help prevent erosion and hide the presence of culvert pipe.