What should I plant in my backyard to reduce ponding when it rains?
MOKS asked:
My neighbor’s water runs into my yard and ponds. Should I landscape with gravel and bushes, or build up soil for grass? It is shaded by oak trees.
My neighbor’s water runs into my yard and ponds. Should I landscape with gravel and bushes, or build up soil for grass? It is shaded by oak trees.
4 Responses to “What should I plant in my backyard to reduce ponding when it rains?”
Why not try a bog garden. Here’s how:
In most townships, your neighbor has an obligation to control his own run-off. If he is dumping it all into your garden and not taking any steps himself, you can talk to him about it and if necessary get the township involved. However, this remedy is not available if you live outside a township, or there are no regulations about run-off.
There are a few things you could do if your garden is constantly waterlogged.
– Excavate a French drain at the lowest spot. This is a large pit filled with stone chips and covered with dirt. The water is captured in the French drain and eventually soaks away.
– Capture the water in one area and turn it into a pond or a big garden.
– Regrade your lot and create shallow channels so that the water runs away and becomes someone else’s problem.
I would do a combination of both. Actually I have. I created a “dry creek” in the back part of my yard & when it rains the water drains that direction. I have also built up the low spots and put in a french drain to send some of the water out to the street.
If you land is large enough plant a weeping willow tree on the edge of your property. They soak up to 50 gallons a day. They are extremely ugly so then maybe your neighbor will fix the problem.