Doesn't sound very dry. Sounds like you need to make a much larger swale, that you keep mowed. No rocks.

It used to be like that where it drained over the grass as well as the edge of the garden. What I did was capture the water so that it went through the bed and planted bananas at the edge. So now it runs through the middle, waters the bananas, then drains off through a path. But it drains down the entire edge of the garden border, then off between the houses. I thought I would build a "dry" creek bed (dry when it's not raining") so that I could drain it over the rocks and not have it wash the mulch out every time it rains. Unfortunately, the weeds are really a problem.

French Drain.

A trenched drainpipe that allows downspout water and surface water in-- then down the slope and out. Trench in gentle curves for stream effect, place the pipe and fill trench with pebbles. Add your decorative rocks in a natural effect.

If you DIY it's not difficult. YouTube it for a version not too complicated... gravity will do its job. Get supplies at any hardware store and gravel yard.

If there's no slope then a sump pump is needed.

Dry creek beds are for a climate where the heavy lifting of weed control is not being done by mulch, but by a climatic factor - usually drought, but sometimes shade. If you don't have those conditions, you mow or you weed. Personally, I'd rethink the layout so that the water drains in a grassy easily mowed swale, as has already been suggested.

Pictures might help us help you figure out where can go.

True, I live in CA. I didn't reallize the banana trees comment was the OP's. I'm not familiar with tropical weeds or grassy swales. Forget the French drain in this instance.

Thank you everyone. I have some cannas and daises to fill in that area, but am still playing with the dry creek idea but yes it does sound like maintenance so maybe you all are right, it's more trouble than it's worth.

I want to have garden beds but for some reason I get these sheets of weeds when no one else seems to have as many. It's very frustrating.

Also, around the edge of the bananas I have a second trench where water drains down, the outer edge, and joins the other stream of water, forming one trench that drains down the garden bed. I want to plant edging plants to keep the weeds away - marigolds or grasses or something. Mulch will just wash on down. But there will still be weeds.

Well thanks everyone. I try to keep up but the weeds are winning. Got a quarter of a large garbage can's worth just pulling up the weeds around the daisies tonight. And that's just a couple of weeks worth.

I'm kind of thinking some kind of ground cover that wouldn't be showy and would just go down the middle under the cannas, where the water drains?

Right now the cannas are red, and the daisies next to them are yellow. Then the bananas.

Any chance of a picture of this situation? What exactly are the 'daisies'?

I think you might need help such as French drain idea, or any re- directing. ( I could not DIY, but you might.

Speaking only as a hone gardener and not a LD, or anything, I will simply echo that I think “ dry creek beds” are almost exclusively for arid climates that still get sudden rains, and the property topography needs the drainage, but the climate otherwise is more inhospitable to typical weedy vegetation & there’s not tree debris . In regular decent to heavy rainfall states, & yards & neighborhoods planted ( and birds!), rocky establishments will become weedy. Also agree with shade factor— deep shade would be a bit friendlier but that’s usually not where the drainage problem develops.

" So before I had any experience with how things grow, I’d see these lovely photos of beautiful rocky dry creek beds, the rocks pristine, also artfully planted with deciduous stuff, including in some articles recommending and installing them as part of otherwise lush landscapes. Ummm, no. "

I certainly do not live in an arid climate.....except for maybe a couple of months in summer when we receive virtually no rainfall. I fact, the PNW is typically considered a modestly damp and lush growing environment. And as a practicing landscape designer, I have designed and used dry creek beds in numerous client projects. Almost without exception they have functioned as intended and developed into attractive landscape features. Yes, they do require some maintenance to remain tidy and look their best but no more so than any other garden planting situation. Devoting a couple of hours to the area every so often to remove any weeds or debris is no more - and often quite a bit less - effort expended than one would with a traditionally planted garden bed.

With thoughtful design and planning and care in construction, dry stream beds can be utilized in ANY climate and are NOT relegated to just arid climates!!

How does one install a dry creekbed in a weedy, marshy tropical jungle that's too wet and mucky for even a French Drain?

^^^Well, you probably don't :-) It would hardily be a "dry creek bed" under those conditions so some other design element would be/should be implemented in place of that. No one said that it is useful or practical in all situations. It is a concept that is similar to "right plant, right place" and is determined by the specific conditions, not necessarily by climate.

Okay, I stand corrected. Perhaps I have been influenced by its sometimes being touted as low- maintenance ( or worse, no maintenance. The other thing is the presence of weeds, especially woody , that can’t be dug out once growing in rock crevices, and many people swear they will never use herbicides.

I have a new toy to kill off weeds. Its a long handled propane torch. It takes a small screw on propane bottle, like you can buy in Walmart, H Depot, etc.

I spot burn the weeds in the garden, concrete, or gravel ares etc. It just takes a second or 2 to burn them at the base. They will look green still but the next day they are Dead!! I also used it to get rid of some brown widows that took up residence in my all metal barn, when I first moved here. I didnt want to use pesticides in the barn so i just torched their webs.

You can buy the propane torches on Amazon. I think it was around $35 or less.

I wouldn't burn dry weeds or brush, just green weeds. I keep the hose nearby just in case.

I know nothing aout gardening in Florida, but it sounds to me like an area for a rain garden.