We had a similar problem at our previous home. There was a drain outside in the entrance way to our basement. Every time we had a lot of rain, that drain would overflow and after a while starting coming into our laundry room. I was talking to somebody and he said that was probably no more than a 3 lb. coffee can inside that drain, and on top of that there was a swail that ran between our house and the next door neighbor, taking the run off of rain water off townhouses built next door to that neighbor. Water would stand in that swail so we dug a trench all the length of that swail on our property, and laid down that black corregated pipe with holes in it and about every 10-12 ft. we built a box frame and found a business that sold cast iron grates that size. We repeated the frame and the pipe all the way to the public sidewalk, took a post hole digger and dug under the sidewalk to the grassy area between the sidewalk and curb. Continued our drench, of black pipe, broke up a small piece of curb so the water could flow out of the black pipe and patched the curb, so the water ran off when it rained hard into the street and down into sewer nearby. We installed a small sump pump in that basement entrance way and it was hooked up to an inside electric plug that would pump that water up another pipe and out into that drain field we'd installed over that swail area. A lot of back breaking labor in 95 degree heat but hey, it worked and still exist today. I am sure a professional company would have charged us a fortune to do what we did. Maybe they would have done it a different and more efficient way but we didn't have that kind of money to spend.

My potted things (some roses, lilies, lemon tree, etc.) are mostly in the largest black nursery pots I could find. Those things have huge drainage holes - some on the side only, some on the bottom only, some a combination. Those large holes do allow soil to leak out. It occurred to me one time when I had run out of pot bits with which to block the holes from leaking soil out so easily, years ago (5 +, if I recall correctly) that used up dryer sheets (non woven fabric softener sheets) would make an excellent soil blocker over the holes while allowing water to drain out easily. And I use dryer sheets in my laundry, so I have instant access to dozens of the things... The only time I've had trouble with the sheets is when I've been lazy about repotting and happy, enthusiastic rooters have grown through the sheets. Those times I generally cut the sheets off, but usually, they're still sitting there just a little tangled, but easy to remove during the 'replace the dirt' process. The one time this hasn't worked well has been with my lemon tree, when something small went IN the drainage holes, tore up the dryer sheets and left bits of them all over the cement slab. Now every time I water the trees, some soil comes out with the water. I don't know if something is living inside the pot, but the lemon tree isn't doing terribly well - but it isn't the fault of the dryer sheets...

what zone?

Hi all, I'm looking for an expert in helping us with our water logged backyard, particularly in lower parts. We're located in Boston. Anyone had a good experience with anyone in Boston? Thanks!