OT: Karin Kirk, dry river beds ?

[Smiley]

Going to have a landscaper install a dry river bed on our sloping hill, near the bottom. It will serve 2 purposes, controling rain run off from the house on top of the hill from us and also filling in a spot which has been hard to mow or landscape. Any thoughts before I sign off on the deal. This means they bring in lots of rocks which maybe up your alley Karin :) . Hey anybody else done one of these. Thanks Smiley

[OtayBW]

Maybe think about installing a french drain under the dry river bed - give the runoff some place to go (away from the house).

[Smiley]

Maybe think about installing a french drain under the dry river bed - give the runoff some place to go (away from the house).
Got that covered its going to tap into our 4 inch PVC runoff pipes to the street. Thanks as I forgot to mention that detail.

[Blue Jays]

Bumping thread so it gets noticed.
You might wish to send her a PM about the water drainage topic as this drifts off the first page.

[rwsaunders]

Filter fabric under the rock to help stabilize the soil that is underneath the rock. I assume that you've asked to see a sample of the contractor's work as well. Don't forget to have them name you as "additional insured" on their certificate of insurance.

[Ken Robb]

and if the rocks are the right size it can be a dandy home for rats and snakes.

[Karin Kirk]

Great topic Smiley!

However I've never built one of these so I don't have a lot of insight to offer. But a few points come to mind:

-How steep is the slope? I've seen hillsides where rock was placed on top of weed barrier fabric and simply slid downhill, leaving ugly patches of weed fabric showing through. For a steep slope, blocky, angular rocks will hold better than round ones.

-What will define the edge of the creekbed? Will it have a border that will be flush with the ground so you can mow over it, or will it always require touch-ups with the weed whacker? Or is that an area that doesn't get mown anyway?

-What kind of rock are they using? Do you get to pick the rock? Some kinds look really non-native, like using red desert rock on a colonial house.

-Lastly, will there be a way to tie this into your existing landscape? A large area of rock can look awfully sterile. Some large boulders, clumps of grasses or other features can help it look more integrated. I bet you can get some cool ideas by thumbing through a landscaping book or a few issues of Fine Gardening magazine.

That's all I can think of. Maybe Dirt Digger can offer more practical tips?

[Smiley]

Karin,
Ground cover around the dry river bed :

4 Phlox paniculata flat (12 plants per flat)
8 Mazus reptans flat (12 plants per flat)
16 Vinca minor flat (50 plants per flat)
3 Fine Pines Mulch Cubic Yard
1 Compost Cubic yard
and the materials of the dry river bed

3 Pennsylvania boulders Pallet
2 CR10 TN
2 Delaware Gravel ¾” TN
3 Delaware Gravel 3-4” TN
Yes the will put down the mat and I know this guy has done 6 of these in the next neighborhood andhis work looks really nice. I will be off the day they start this work and will be sure to have them anchor the stones solidly in the hill side. Thanks and this guy does use native stones so they don't look out of place pluse we have incorporated a water feature in the dry rive bed. A self contained water falls type of thingy.
This is Karen's meiVici and I am going along for the ride :)

[Karin Kirk]

Nice work Smiley! :)

Looks like you've got some great plants and rocks picked out, which should harmonize beautifully. Please share pics once it's all done!

Oh - I just noticed that's the wrong species of phlox. Phlox paniculata is 3 feet tall and not a groundcover (although it's terrific in it's own right). The groundcover is phlox subulata, aka moss phlox, aka creeping phlox, pictured here.

http://www.rabbitrunnursery.com/perennials/phlox-subulata.jpg

[OtayBW]

Filter fabric under the rock to help stabilize the soil that is underneath the rock. I assume that you've asked to see a sample of the contractor's work as well. Don't forget to have them name you as "additional insured" on their certificate of insurance.
Not sure I follow what you mean by the filter 'stabilizes the soil' under the rock. Only 2 places I could think of where a filter fabric would go: One would be directly on top of the drain pipe in order to keep the overlying soil material (fines) from clogging up the holes in the drainage pipe over time.

The other would be as a possible weed barrier as mentioned, but it's effect on providing erosion resistance should be pretty mininal compared to the effects of any rock/rip-rap that is present above it.

Don't mean to pick - maybe you had something else in mind?

[Ginger]

I suspect you have some tree cover/shade in this area?

In the right place, vinca can be a bit invasive but not radically so. On the good side, it is evergreen and is dang hardy in a transplant situation if treated right. Practically foolproof. The vinca major (large leaf) will tolerate sun/shade in just about any combo...in my experience it tolerates full sun better than the vinca minor.

I don't have much experience with the phlox because they don't like my soil/yard/zone. I'm not sure which. I'm awaiting spring to see if the ones I planted last year and nursed through the summer will be growing this year.

[93legendti]

There's something about a Wadi....

[Ginger]

I think the dry riverbed constructs are very cool when they're tied into a natural context with the rest of the landscaping....or when found in nature.

[Karin Kirk]

I don't have much experience with the phlox because they don't like my soil/yard/zone. I'm not sure which. I'm awaiting spring to see if the ones I planted last year and nursed through the summer will be growing this year.
Really? Have you tried the creeping phlox? I thought it was bulletproof in the midwest. Other types of phlox can be trickier.

[Louis]

I would try dandelions. :) They spread very well on their own, and your neighbors will thank you for them. :argue: