This will be our 2nd summer in our new house. Last summer we noticed that part of our lawn was wet, really wet! We were only able to mow that section twice over the whole summer. It seems that there is runoff from the hill behind our house which is trying to make its way to the ditch by the road. The ditch is full of weeds and doesn't seem to be draining well at all. I called the local highway dept and had them come take a look. This was an unpleasant visit! I asked if they could clean the ditch out so it would be less congested, but they stressed that they couldn't dig it any deeper... One of the men recalled having been here before for the same issue with the previous owners It seemed the only option was to put in drainage diagonally across the lawn which would be very expensive! I pitched the idea of building a stream bed and got the green light from my husband now the next step is to start it before all the snow melts and its a mess. Honestly I'm kinda stumped! Where do I start? Where am I going to keep all that dirt? Where will I find enough rocks?(I try to do everything for free) Is there anyone with experience with this kind of project? The biggest concern at this point is if it will stay flowing or dry right up. Any help would be greatly appreciated! The stream would start by the pole and end.... Between those clumps of grass
I have no advice, but am curious to see what you come up with and what others suggest. I have a similar situation (lots smaller though).
Yes thank you. I have seen this video..today actually. I usually go for any idea I have, this is the first time I've second guessed myself. Like everything I do , limited brains, all heart... I'm going for snow or rain!
Update on stream project- I've been able to get out and work on the stream for a few days. So glad I started when I did. The amount of water in the stream is almost unbelievable! Here's what I've gotten done so far... first day day three day five. Two or three more days of digging should finish it up. Can't wait to plant flowers around it and get all the rocks in place!
Looking good already Dawn. I would really love to have a stream running through my garden but, sadly, there just isn't enough space for one.
if you space little log dams occasionally the water will fall down and dig further into the soil likely resulting in deeper little ponds that might stay full
Great progress for day five and looking very impressive,..i hope you keep us up to date with further progress as i find your project very interesting,..thinking of plants along that stream,..yeah i would love that thought.
Dawn, you have come up with a practical and beautiful solution to your problem! One word of advice--water goes where water wants to go, so hold off on planting any flowers until you see if the stream cuts its own bed, which may not be exactly what you planned. Meanwhile, you can collect and place rocks, and read up on stream-side plants. I admire the planning, work, and ingenuity that you have put into this! I agree with your statement about "all heart" but strongly disagree with "limited brains"!
Check with your local contractors. Often times they will have broken bricks that they can't use and have to pay someone to haul them away. So you can use them as rock for free.
