We had one installed this year to try to alleviate the flooding/drainage issues with our Virginia clay. It is wonderful. It goes along one side of the house, around the patio, and down the hill to the lower level stopping at the back fence. I will try to post pictures this weekend-need to buy a new camera! We did put in some ferns , hostas and grass/sedge (can't remember exactly what it is-so embarrassing), but mostly it it surrounded by weeds at this point. I have been working on the front yard more. Time to get busy there in the back. Anyway, I really like the look of the dry creek in our natural setting. Cynthia

Don't have one, so can't offer first hand experience, but I thought this Fine Gardening article might interest you, in case you haven't seen it.

Sounds like a lovely project
Eduarda

Here is a link that might be useful: Dry creek in Fine Gardening

Mine is in the planning stage so no pics yet. We're enlarging our garden and I'd love to have a real stream with water but don't want the maintenance so a dry creek bed is the answer. It will provide hardscape interest, take up lots of space, and use a lot of the rock we have.

I've been saving pics but haven't put any in my photobucket yet.

I'll be interested to see the answers you get on this thread. Thanks for the link, Eduarda.

Here's one pic from a landscaping site.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:726768}}

I had one as part of my initial landscape installation and it was totally charming, but once the (then) drought let up a few years back, it just couldn't handle the volume of water that poured thru from higher elevation, adjoining properties. It would bog down, overflow and wash mulch making a real mess. I sadly had it pulled out and installed more underground piping via a drywell of sorts on the fence line. That's not perfect, but it does work better and standing water in the yard has been minimized.

Hopefully, Cameron will chime in on this thread - she has a dry stream bed to die for!

I'm thinking of building one too. Yes, Cameron does have one. I hope she has pictures, including construction.

Thank-you people!
We now have a fairly long dry creek which needs to handle a high volume of water. It has two levels - water comes in from the top and is "visual" and then directly under this is a hidden french drain - they all drain into a dry pond which will be filled with moisture loving native plants to clean the ground water - then it all goes back into a pipe and down the way. There are also funky tributaries to our dry creek to handle all the water coming down the bank, a few more areas need to be incorporated. It was made by the contractors and we just used rip rap but I will also add in my concrete "chunks" and the few nice found rocks the contractors dug up while grading.
Eduarda, thanks for that article! It's perfect. Essentially I want mine to look like a cross between Cameron's beautiful dry creek and the Fine Gardening dry creek. Cameron, I will need to get some ideas from you about the native grasses you planted in here.
Luckily I will have the ability, if necessary to "reverse" the flow of water from stored water back into the dry creek to keep everything moist. A pump and an underground water line that runs back up to the "front" of the stream will do the trick.

So far our "project" is shaping up very well. A few more things need to happen before the patios go in - more retaining walls and drainage. I've got a LOT of planting to do these next few years. I have a feeling winter sowing will be my best friend!

I have only two clumps of miscanthus 'Little Zebra'. Here's what I grow in the dry stream, but mine is in full sun ALL day.

Japanese Irises
Amsonia hubrichtii
monarda
carex (needs a bit more shelter from the sun by taller plants)
salvia uliginosa

There are small "banks" along the dry stream that never sit in water. Since that's the inferno strip along our parking and driveway, that is planted with drought tolerant plants such as buddleia, abelia, hypericum, verbena 'Homestead Purple'. The area needs more done to it, but I just haven't put any focus on it yet.

Thanks Cameron!
Mine is in full, all day sun and we get the usual dry spells (but then again, so do you. Our weather is so similar). There will eventually be some shade, but probably never all day, total shade. In my yard, being downtown, dappled to part-shade is best for full-sun plants anyway! It will be quite awhile before they can be afforded that luxury!!

THANKS for the plant list.

My banks should be somewhat moist most of the time. The soil is fairly heavy clay but I am hoping it will drain OK, or enough. Plus we are sneaking more and more irrigation in and around the yard. The 3-4 rain barrels to go on the side of the house (for drip irrigation, so they will be up VERY very high, near the roof) will have lines running to the drier side of the stream bank. Then the kitchen sink can empty into some areas too. Can was the veg and water at the same time!!!
My plant colors are attempting to stay in the pink, orange, yellow color palette with there being probably some blues if needed during the spring). We'll see how I can stick to that :)

I work at a wildland fire agency and in 2004 we put in a fire resistant garden aound our headquarters to educate property owners about fire wise garden concepts. Part of our landscape is a dry stream. A dry stream can be used as a fire break in wildfire prone areas. On the building side it starts/ends with two bubblers and the other side/end we have a pond.

If you don't have a deer problem, you can add a lot more plants than I use. Plants that can handle wet feet in winter yet survive drought are the ones to look for. There's not much difference between planting a dry stream and planting a rain garden.

I have a book here called Rain Gardening in the South. It's on my "to do" list for writing a review. The publisher sent me a reminder this week. It was written by two NCSU professors.

Cameron

Cameron, how is your dry creek holding up? I have A LOT of water running down from the ridge to my farm in the valley. Currently there is a trench where the water is flowing into a pond. Unfortunately it brings a lot of sediment and make the pond look bad. I want to create a pool at the top, then the creek bed and then another pool/rain garden at the end before the pond. My concern is that the volume of water will possibly move the limestone rock I am planning on using. Also thought about running some drain tile under the creek bed to help with the water flow...thanks in advance for your help...love your creek bed!!

would it be possible to plant reeds and such to filter the sediments out?