Here is an older picture of our yard- it was right after we finished the grading and drainage ditch. In the ditch picture link that was previously posted the stuff to the right is rocks my neighbor put down. He has several trees and a nice planting area. As you can see, when it rains his yard becomes the drain area. We just have the drain tube from the street that comes towards the back of our property. The ditch we installed helps send the water out back. This is a crazy set up but this is what the developer came up with and it was approved by the city. We have had city engineers out, they admit the previous guys should have never approved this, and they have washed their hands of it. We were told to do what we deemed necessary to stop our yard from flooding- without making enemies of course. The ditch can get a large volume of water as you can see but it no longer floods our yard. The ditch is only a foot deep at its lowest point. The small retaining wall in the picture is where the opening of the drain is. We were hiding from our sight. The biggest change was slowing the water flow. The opening of the tube from the street is about 3 feet. That is a lot of water. The opening is filled with bags of quickcrete to slow the water down. We tried sand bags, but during one rain storm it actually shot them out from the drain- quite a sight. From what I gather so far the sedge meadow/ vegetaded swale may be the best alternative. Probably cheaper than ordering more rocks which will get buried again.

That is a raised catch basin that is designed to keep the retention pond from over flowing as surface runoff (either off site or to an area where it could cause harm). The idea is for the swale to hold the water until the soil can absorb it, but in the event that there is more water than it can hold, a subsurface drainage system will kick it as the water pours into the catch basin. Sometimes these are also put in to keep the swale from getting too deep and requiring it to be fenced off (a fence is required for retention swales capable of getting 2' deep or more here in Massachusetts). Many comunities are now requiring this type of drainage solution rather than putting runoff directly into subsurface systems. The idea is that the plants will use excessive nutrients from the runoff rather than having it get into the groundwater which ultimately finds its way to ponds, lakes, streams, or bays causing algae blooms and other problems. We commonly design these on commercial projects.

it's diversity that will hold the bank together. so the more kinds of things you can plant there, the better. I'd start at the bottom of the ditch with water-tolerant species like flags, the native daylily species, and I'm sure there's something native to your area that tends to grow at the base of creekbeds. Primrose actually loves to live creekside, so you may be able to get them to adapt to the 'run-off' lifestyle. woodland phlox as well as the creeping form make good plants for naturalizing, and Lamium is a plant I never fail to plug- it goes from near full sun to pretty deep shade, and the silver and green foliage is always attractive. I'd put in more berry-bearing bushes...blueberries if your ground will support them (acidic soil is a must for them) or check for native species... http://www.tneppc.org/ this also has a list of things that your local aggies wish you would avoid, since they're better suited to the area than the natives.

Ground ivy (AKA creeping charlie) would cover the ground and stop erossion, and is s short compact plant. It can stand lots of water for short periods and is very dought resistant. But this stuff is the "Kudzu of the north"; Don't even consider it. It is invasive and almost impossible to eradicate. If the ditch drains well and has no standing pools of water, try turing it into a bed of day lillies. Start by planting two rows the length of the ditch. Place the rows at aproximately 1/3 width of the ditch. The initial planting dos not have to be dense. A spacing of 6 inches or more between plants is sufficient. Within a few years, the lillies will multiply and spread across the entire ditch. For variety, plant more than one kind of lilly, maybe a few iris as well. Standard iris is about 2 ft tall, but there are dwarf varieties available. If you can find a source of wild wood iris, a few of these would be nice. It is a protected plant, so don't go diggin them up in the wild. The day lilly ranges from 18 to 24 inches tall with longer flower stems. Lillies are easily contained by mowing or an edging. if you decide you don't like them, they can be killed by keeping them mowed over three years. After the bed is established, it will require thining to maintain flowering. However, you can let the bed go if flowering is not a prime objective. They will become crowded and not much of anything else can grow in the bed.