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Landscape Design

Help with planting in a drainage ditch. . .

5 years ago

Both sides and the rear of my property are drainage ditches that converge at 36" drains at both rear corners. I have a fence on my property line and all three ditches are a few feet inside of the fence line. I'd like to do some landscaping along the fence (somewhat for privacy, mostly just to improve aesthetics) but I am not sure what I should or can plant in the drainage ditch. Currently it is all grass and, in heavy rains, the water stream can be up to 30" wide. It disappears within an hour of the rain stopping but the ground will remain pretty soft for a few more days with no rain. Any suggestions??

Featured Answer

NHBabs z4b-5a NH

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

It isn’t a question only of what will grow there or what the HOA will allow. It is a question of what will grow there and still allow the drainage to function as required. It was likely carefully graded to allow good drainage, and any digging around or planting in there will cause issues. So if s/he plants blue flag iris or ditch lilies AKA Hemerocallis fulva, they will spread and likely reduce the flow of water and also create pockets of trapped water that are ideal mosquito breeding grounds. Or the ditch will be undersized due to the additional volume of plant matter and slowed drainage, and so water will overflow onto the lawn. The same would apply for winterberry holly AKA.Ilex verticillata which suckers in my garden, but is a lovely wetland plant.

I honestly would plant nothing IN the ditch regardless of what can be grown here because I wouldn’t want those types of issues. Either plant moisture tolerant vines that will climb the fence from the narrow strip on the far side of the ditch, or put in a border on the house side of the ditch that has large sweeps of a few types of moisture tolerant plants. Or just live with it as it is now which will be the easiest to care for.

Comments (9)

NHBabs z4b-5a NH
5 years ago
Where are you in the world, nearest large city and state or country? What grows in NH doesn’t grow in FL.

Also it is helpful if you add your hardiness zone if in the US. You can look it up on the map on this website.

https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/phzmweb/interactivemap.aspx

Do you have room on the outside of the ditch? You likely aren’t allowed to plant much in the ditch since it is there to move storm water, and plants might cause puddles and mosquitoes, but either on the inside or outside where it won’t interfere with any but the largest volume would work if there is room.

Do you care if the ditch is visible from your yard and home?
PRO
Yardvaark
5 years ago
I can't say what you're ALLOWED to plant. There's probably going to be no one checking UNLESS THERE COMES A PROBLEM. Best to employ common sense. Don't regrade and don't plant things that will block water flow. If the ditch is wide enough, you might could get away with a small tree or a shrub near the "banks" of the ditch. Don't plant such things right in the stream path. If you want to create privacy, you probably need to plant most such things along the inside of the ditch and let the ditch run behind, unseen.
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kimm - might want to check your State code - see Public Act 40 of 1956. Taken from one county Drain Commissioner website. (you'll see essentially the same in any MI county Drain Commissioner site): "Responsibilities of the Drain Commissioner The Drain Commissioner is responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of designated County Drains. The Drain Commissioner also serves on the County Parks and Recreation Board as well as on the Board of Public Works. Under the Inland Lake Improvement Act, Part 309 of Act 451 of 1994, the Drain Commissioner serves as a member of any Lake Improvement Board. The Drain Commissioner is also the County Enforcing Agent (CEA) under the Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Act, Part 91 of Act 451 of 1994. That is, soil erosion and sedimentation control permits are issued through the Drain Commissioner's Office" You may see the road guys may be doing the work, but the responsibility and authority rests with the Drain Commissioner. edit - note added: in MI not all ditches along county roads are county drains. Form the same county DC website: "There are many natural watercourses, private ditches, private pipelines, and roadside ditches that are not County Drains. The Drain Commissioner has virtually no jurisdiction on these systems." This post was edited by TXEB on Wed, Jun 26, 13 at 11:19
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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.
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Yes drainage pipe. I'm just wanting something to mask the fence I guess. I thought the roses would be just beautiful but I'm thinking anything really green will look beautiful as well. Something that won't damage the fence to where it would need a sooner replacement and something that will keep my husband from worrying. Someone on an ajoining street filled in their backyard ditch so that started to make others yards flood so they had to install the drainage pipes. I of course do not want to do anything to mess up the "flow" - We are in Dickinson, TX - Just had a ton of rain and the ditch did not even hold any water in it.
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Nancy R z5 Chicagoland
5 years ago
What you need is called a Rain Garden. Do some Googling on that.
mjwe1223
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks for the feedback!!

I live in a suburb of Chicago. I have an HOA, so whether I can plant in the ditch or not is a good point...I’ll have to look into that.

I’m not concerned about being able to see the ditch. I’m more concerned about losing about 6-7’ of yard all the way around if I planted in front of it. I don’t think there is enough room to plant between the ditch and the fence; the fence is basically in the middle of the outer half of the ditch on the sides of my property. I didn’t plan on planting in the back, just the sides.
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
5 years ago
(If your development will allow it) look for moisture tolerant plants. Blue flag, lobelia, bluebells, most prairie natives (flowers and grasses), daylilies come to mind. Think of natives you have seen in ditches or bordering local creeks and rivers..
kitasei
5 years ago
Ditch lilies of course!
cecily 7A
5 years ago
Another vote for grass only in the swales: grass can be easily mown or weedwhacked but perennials would need to be weeded.
Nancy R z5 Chicagoland
5 years ago
No, you don't want to do anything that would interfere with the intended function of the ditch. Maybe plant something on the edges of it, depending on the HOA rules. I just found out that the Chicago Botanic Garden website currently has a lead story about rain gardens. There are many perennials and small shrubs you can choose from and you might look into serviceberries, which are attractive small trees.

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