Backyard Drainage Solutions?

Hi, We have a slight hill behind our house and rainwater is *supposed* to drain thru our yard and into a community basin at the street's end (a few houses down). However, the rain water collects in the beginning corner of the yard and puddles to the point of killing all vegetation. Can anyone point Us in the direction of some solutions.


I do know that planting deep-rooted plants that thrive in moist places will help.

If you have a low sunny spot that does not drain well, a soggy stream side or a pond, you can grow plants that demand constant moisture. Wet soil allows you to grow a variety of bold, beautiful plantsâ€"like queen-of-the-prairie (Filipendula rubra)â€"that will not otherwise thrive in most gardens. Astilbes and ligularias also thrive in sun if their feet are wet. Hydric gardens are lush and colorful, and many moisture-loving plants like cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) and joe-pye weed (Eupatorium) are magnets for butterflies.

Naturally wet soil is often high in organic matter and very fertile. A low spot in your yard may be wet because a clay hardpan is keeping moisture from draining away. If the soggy spot is solid clay, adding some organic matter like compost will help your garden grow. Digging in mucky soil is difficult, so choose a dry spell to do soil preparation. If the spot is always wet, spread a 10- to 12-inch layer of compost over the existing soil, and plant right into the compost.

Have a look at "French Drains", shallow trenched filled with gravel. Lining them with landscape cloth lets the water drain into them and be directed away.

You could also put drain tiles or pipe, like for a leach feild under the surface. Thast is kind of a lot of work.

Maybe you just need to have it graded. Or just start grading it yourself with a rake and wheelbarorrows of soil.

Or maybe some raized beds would help.

The soggy garden plants is a good idea too. A willow tree will suck lots of water out of the soil. And if you live in a boggy space there are many plants that like wet feet. Siberian Iris and Heuchara (Coralbells) are on my lsist.

Sounds like it may be a big job. Maybe the city, (whoever) can help if there is a real problem. If drainage is on the plans for the development they should be able to point oput how it should work.

If you can use another tree, weeping willows are great for sucking up excess water. I have a similiar problem in my back yard. I have a small creek that runs the length of my property, and I live at the base of a pretty good hill. All the rain water heads to my creek, but in the back corner, in heavy rains, it turns into a small swamp. I just planted a weeping willow and it keeps all the access water sucked up. They love water. Just don't plant it anywhere near your septic tank or you'll have problems with the roots, they can reach a good distance and they head for water or moisture. I figured its cheaper to buy a tree than put in drainage plus the tree is beautiful. Hope this helps you!

I had a similar problem while building my propagation beds. We had a few days of normal rain, and my beds were like quicksand...literally...I sunk up to my calves when I stepped in

.

I ended up going to Lowes and getting a product that is used for this problem. It comes in a 50 foot roll, is only 1" wide by about 6" tall. I chose this instead of the typical drain pipe because of the smaller ditch I would have to dig. I simply shoved my square edge spade into the ground, and wiggled it back and forth. I did this from the problem area approx 100 feet to my pond. I then went back and made it wide enough and deep enough for the rolled drainage pcs. I then covered it with the soil. Works like a charm.

We had 10 inches of rain a few weeks later, and I was able to stand in my mist beds! The sand was wet, but not saturated.

You can build a rain garden. Here's an article I wrote on how to build one:

http://pondlady.com/Articles/raingarden.html


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