As usual, in order to understand what you're facing, you need to provide sufficient information so that we can see the lay of the land -- the large picture. Need to see where water is coming from, the site problems and how water can escape your property, or at least escape the problem area. This is usually best conveyed with wide shot photos. You might need to take some slightly overlapping pans to show a wide area. Sometimes diagrams are helpful, too.

Hi All, I used Penn State extension calculator to determine the sq ft i would need to accept the downspout water based on roof size, soil type and average rainfall - that was how I came up with the initial plan of a 10 ft wide recessed area. Phase 1 - Goal - Stop melting roof snow from creating icy pond on walkway and street sidewalk as first step in overall plan redirect downspout and improve curb appeal. We dug a 50ft x 4ft x 6 in recessed area, 0.6 in rain tested it. The troth was filled, with overflow onto the lawn, a bit over the sidewalk and ponding between it and the berm. Prior to the troth overflow the sidewalk to the berm was not ponding. Pointing to this as the source of the icy problem. Phase 2 Based on reactions to prior mock ups, i wanted dark stone or mulch to ground the bldg, a subtle safe walkway from the emergency door (the back of the building faces the street), a rain garden to be part dryriver bed, part plants and part graded lawn. Below is a draft, not shown isgrading from dry river bed out 6 additional ft across from left to right. The software I used has limited colors, river rock will be lighted than shown. Additional plants will be added. For Phase 1 I would do the river rock and gravel right around it, and revamp the downspouts. All and any advise welcome!

First I should ask if local government mows this at any time during the year. I live in a rural subdivision and my county mows about 5' along the street edge of everyone's property twice a year. Don't waste time and money on planting an area you have no control over. If local government doesn't maintain this area, do you have a property owners or neighborhood association with rules about maintenance or limitations on landscaping? If the answer is NO, then my next question is: is the ditch deep with steep sides or is it shallow and wide? Shallow and wide is called a SWALE. Obviously shallow and wide is easier to work with, and you could develop a rain garden where one or both sides of the swale is planted with perennials and subshrubs. I recommend you avoid large growing plants that will shade out smaller plants and lead to erosion. Group plants in drifts of 3 or more along the drainage area. Don't try to plant the entire area at once. Gardening is trial and error, and not every plant will work out. In fact you could find that species flourish and struggle from year to year. HERE is a link to a list of plants for rain gardens on the east coast, and here is another LINK to plants for the west coast. Here is ANOTHER link to plants recommended for Texas rain gardens. Texas varies from wet in the east to dry in the west and from zone 9 in the Rio Grande valley to zone 6 on the Panhandle plains. Many times it is best to choose plants native to where you live as they handle weather extremes better than introduced plants. Sedges are grasslike plants that tolerate sun and shade, wet and dry. Most grow around 12" tall and I think are excellent for the bottom of a drainage area. Here is a link to a NURSERY in Wisconsin with sedges and other native plants. Do a search for rain garden plants for your state to see what comes up.

I understand. Our main goal is to not have a soggy back yard. Since the grass is dying under the trampoline we are going to move forward with mulch in a perfect circle under. Beyond that we were looking for a design or suggestions on what to do with the rest of the yard. Since the yard by the trampoline has poor drainage we were thinking of killing all the grass on that side and filling with mulch (similar to the attached drawing). We like the fire pit and the grass around it. Our hesitation with killing everything on the trampoline side is if it would flow well with all grass on the other side. We have plenty of patio space and beyond that we just want things to look sharp and clean. I can try a panoramic from the upper deck if you think that would help... Again, I appreciate all the feedback and I feel I just may not be clear on what we are trying to do.